They have gone after his wife, they have gone after his kids, they have gone after his mother.
They have tried to sabotage his legislative agenda, by turning our parliament into a monkey house.
And yesterday Justin Trudeau finally lost his temper.
And while he should have remained in his seat, and not given the opposition an excuse to call him a big bad bully.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was accused of "manhandling" Opposition whip Gord Brown and elbowing NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the House of Commons as MPs gathered for a vote on the government's assisted-dying bill Wednesday afternoon.
Boo hoo hoo.
Who can blame him for being angry?
He has had to remain silent while the Cons and the NDP attacked his family...
Which couldn't have been easy.
The Cons and the NDP have been playing cheap parliamentary games.
The man in charge of organizing Liberal votes in the House of Commons was breathing a sigh of relief Monday after narrowly averting disaster on the government’s proposed Air Canada legislation.
“My blood pressure was a little higher than usual,” said Liberal MP Andrew Leslie, the chief government whip, after the opposition pulled a procedural trick to bring about a snap vote on Bill C-10, which proposes changes to the Air Canada Public Participation Act.
Games which couldn't be more sneaky or childish.
The Liberals were expecting to hear from NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice on an amendment to the bill, which proposes lifting a long-standing requirement that Air Canada keep its maintenance operations in Winnipeg, Montreal and Mississauga, Ont.
But when his time came, Boulerice hid out in the lobby, which forced a vote with a 30-minute warning bell.
And yesterday the Cons and the NDP were trying to delay passage of a bill which many terminally ill people are depending upon to end their suffering. And one the Supreme Court has given the government until June to make law.
With the Cons dragging their heels, and the NDP trying to physically stop the Con Whip Gord Brown from returning to his seat.
As this tape which I looped and slowed down for you makes only too clear.
Where you can clearly see Tom Mulcair and other NDP members, including Ruth Ellen Brosseau, move to the left to block Brown.
And if that's what Brosseau calls an assault, or a vicious elbow, or a nasty bump, she's clearly never been on a crowded bus.
And one really has to wonder what the NDP will look like when they return to the Commons today...
And thank goodness Elizabeth May was there....
To see who started it.
So the outraged reaction from the NDP and the Cons couldn't be more absurd...
Or more pathetic.
The Mulcair Party should be ashamed for putting a dirty smile on Stephen Harper's face...
For the first time since he was defeated.
And Nikki Ashton should also be ashamed of herself.
For after the disgusting way she went after Sophie Gregoire Trudeau...
if she packed any more hyperbole or hypocrisy into this statement:
I want to say for all of us who witnessed this,this was deeply traumatic.What I will say,if we apply a gendered lens, it is very important that young women in this space feel safe to come here and work here.
He made us feel unsafe and we're deeply troubled by the conduct of the prime minister of this country."
I swear she'd explode.
For what will she do next? Retweet this ugly Con?
Her new found feminist ally.
Or sing Solidarity Forever with Dean del Mastro?
Or dance a tango with the bully bigot Jason Kenney...
To celebrate the formation of the Loser Party of Canada.
Because that is of course the real reason the Cons and the NDP are blowing hot air out of every angry orifice.
Justin Trudeau is soooooo popular.
While they're not, and still don't understand that they lost the last election.
What happened yesterday will only make Trudeau more popular, for people know fakers when they see them.
And nobody really gives a damn what the Loser Party says or does.
But of course, there is a lesson to be learned for both Justin and ourselves.
Justin needs to remember what my old boxing coach told me, although he probably knows it already. He just forgot.
Stay cool, yes even if they attack you and your family, for they are scumbags so you know they will. Dodge and duck the low blows, let your opponents exhaust themselves. Or think they're winning.
And then at precisely the right moment, wipe the smile off their brutish faces...
I mean if I can keep my cool after being humiliated by my friends, for having voted for the NDP in the last election and must now wear a bag over my head, Justin can keep his cool too.
You know, don't get angry get even eh?
And as for the rest of us we need to remember that the Loser Party is now at war with a government supported by a super majority of decent Canadians.
If those losers won't respect democracy, then they should be shown no respect, and no mercy.
Please click here to recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers.
An amazing display of Con hypocrisy but then that's really all they ever did.
ReplyDeleteI agree Trudeau should not have done it but both the Cons and the NDP have been playing silly buggers a bit too much in the House. Of course the Cons have been behaving with their normal disgusting behaviour all the time,
I would have expected better of the NDP. :(
On the other hand, my first thought was that Justin was channelling the spirit of Jean Chretien but he's supposed to do it in a park not in the House.
Hi jrkrideau...yes, I don't think Justin did the right thing, but the Cons and the NDP were carrying on like children so there is enough blame to go around. And it annoys me to see that as far as the MSM is concerned it's all about Trudeau....
DeleteThank you Simon! You put this whole incident in its proper context. I think Mulcair et al have been acting like over grown spoiled children, and his role in this and his reaction just show that he should have been turfed out already.
ReplyDeleteThe way that these parliamentarians were bahaving before the vote on assisted dying is a slap in the face to all Canadians who desperately need this legislation. I completely understand his frustration. Putting aside the completely mysoginistic way some have been treating his wife.
I hope that today our PM can shake his frustration in the knowledge that a majority of Canadians support his government.
Thank you for a timely post. Have a great day!
TS
Still, it was a really dumb thing for Trudeau to do. Understandable, but really, really dumb. This will all blow over of course, but it's unfortunate that the first big gaff of this government had to come from the top guy himself. And Nikki Ashton? Off my list of potential NDP leaders. "He made us feel unsafe"? Please.
ReplyDeleteHi Omar....yes I can't disagree with you, it was not the smartest thing to do, and of course the question is why? My guess is that having to out up with the Cons attacking his family created a build up of anger, and he finally exploded. I don't think it will hurt him, but cool is better....
DeleteI am more disappointed in Tom Mulcair then anyone else......he sure has been showing his "true colours" since he lost the election and then his leadership bid! JL must be turning over in his grave!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathleen....I have been disappointed in Mulcair ever since the election when he seemed to be working for Harper, and ganging up to attack Trudeau. And since he returned to the House of Commons he has been like a rabid jackal going after Justin. The NDP needs to get rid of him as soon as possible....
DeleteIt's unfortunate Justin let himself get riled. As you say, Simon, in his position he really can't afford to do that do that no matter how provoked. But I'm much more disappointed in the NDP's behaviour. As for the Cons, it's all pretty much in keeping with their track record over the last decade. No one expects better of them. The only one that comes out of this looking good is Ms. May.
ReplyDeleteIt saddens me to see this sort of behaviour in the House. And it also saddens me the way the media is focusing so much on it, rather than the business at hand. It doesn't serve Canadians well.
A truly respectful stance by the Green Party Leader, her words and thoughts on this subject deserve far more attention and consideration from the electorate and her fellow MP's.
DeleteHi anon...I am am also very disappointed by the way the NDP is playing footsy with the Cons. They should be acting more independently and not looking as if they belong to the same party.and yes, what can we do with our Con media? They seem stuck in a time warp, and getting more clueless by the day....
Deletethe slow-down (thanks simon!) reveals a Prime Minister, taking action. he is a resolute man who has no time for bullshit and no space for prisoners. he has too much energy for palliative approach to getting things done, too much zaaz for moth-ball politics and too much heart to waste legislative opportunities (before time's up). he wasn't there to mind some woman's important self that stuck out to obstruct his way. he was there to help the whip through. JT lost his cool (people do that. JT is people (and good people at that)). i dont want to say that i dont mind if my colleagues shove me at work. that's never cool... but i submit that JT made it clear of what he thinks of his conduct in his apology. life shall move on from here.
ReplyDeleteHi Luce....yes I think Justin was exasperated to see that the Con whip couldn't get past the NDP members, and he genuinely thought he was coming to the rescue and trying to get an important vote underway. But he does need to stay cool or the Con media will jump all over him. However, I might have given people the impression that I can stay cool under fire, and sadly that's not the case. I too have a ferocious temper, and if I see anyone abusing another person, or pushing their weight around, I turn red, and have to be restrained from giving them a piece of my mind, or going for their throats. So I'm probably not the best person to tell Justin how to behave... ;)
DeleteI just think his inner teacher kicked in .. you see a bunch of unruly kids, and you do what you can to separate them. There's a fine line, and he crossed it. But with reason.
DeleteThis all smells of a set up by the NDP and Cons (the new loser party) to involve Trudeau in some way. This has been previously done on many wrestling shows in the past. Set up a fake confrontation in the hope that a mediator-type gets involved and then smear the peacemaker as a bully.
ReplyDeleteit's an old schtick from Saturday afternoon wrestling.
Hi anon....I don't know if they planned it, but they sure took advantage of it after Trudeau reacted. One moment Mulcair was laughing his head off, and the next moment he wuss scramming with indignation. And as for Ruth Ellen Brosseau her performance merits an Oscar and couldn't have been more ridiculous...l
Delete
ReplyDeletehttp://thetyee.ca/News/2016/05/19/Parliamentary-Brawl-101/
The Cons and NDP are in a frenzy, accusing Trudeau of manhandling Brown. That wasn't manhandling by any stretch. Trudeau did inadvertently elbow Brosseau.It's obvious Trudeau didn't even see her behind the other man.
ReplyDeleteBut Trudeau apologized 3 times for what he *did* do. I don't recall Harper apologizing during his regime for bringing forth anti-democratic legislation, hiding in a closet, closing veterans offices, or his North-Korean vibe 24/7 videos, paid for by the Canadian taxpayer. Do you?
Trudeau stood up and took action to move Brown through the gaggle of NDP children. That's what leaders do, take charge. Brosseau got bumped in the process accidentally but by the looks of the replays, she could give our drama teacher PM a few acting lessons.
ReplyDeleteHis justplanecrazy ...when I saw Brown being led away it did not seem to me that he was resisting. He seemed only too happy to be able to get back to this seat. But now he's claiming he was very very unhappy, so this whole incident is being manipulated for crass political purposes....
DeleteAnd the liberals are withdrawing the bill which means we will be entertained for hours and hours with endless conservative yakking and wittering. Counterproductive because we all know what they are going to say and we all don't want to hear it.
ReplyDelete]
And the NDP girls have with their silly games, made a mockery of women who have suffered real assaults.
Hi anon....yes and one can only hope they can get tye assisted dying bill through the Commons in time to meet theJune 6th deadline set by the Supreme Court. For it does affect the real lives of real people and the Cons and the NDP should be ashamed of themselves for trying to hold up proceedings...,
DeleteI am completely ashamed of the NDP. They have lost any respect that I had for them. Children would not act this foolish!!!!! Like I said Simon, Canada has become a very racist, ignorant Country......and now it is even showing in our HoC. I would expect this from a CON but shocked by Mulclair.... What a pathetic, self serving leader!!!!!!!! and that Nikki...... isn't she a silly useless, nut job???? She should be hiding under the bed with the equally pathetic Rempel.... She would never last in a real woman's club!!!!! FS
ReplyDeleteSimon, your blogpost fails to recognize the role of the opposition and the processes involved in debate. It was a major mistake and an over reaction to the trick played by the NDP and Cons on Monday with the Air Canada Bill (C-110)I don't think it was wise to do what the NDP and Liberals did but just because a government has a majority they should not just be ramming legislation through without considering amendments. These procedures were designed or evolved to give the opposition a shot at having a say by being able to delay legislation even if they don't have the majority. It developed because the party in power in this case the Liberals govern with 39% of the popular vote of Canada. The Cons under Harper had 39.5% and that was also seen as undemocratic. There needs to be more fair representation as the combined opposition parties develop processes to make their own changes. I am a retired postal worker.When the Liberals or the Conservatives moved back to work legislation it was sometimes amended by the ruling government to address concerns of the opposition, not because the ruling government wanted to but because the government needed to get the legislation through as soon as possible. With Harper there was a lot less amendments but the debate was longer and closure had to be invoked hundreds of times. I sincerely hope the Liberals do not do what Rona Ambrose is accusing them of doing. I almost never agree with Rona Ambrose but she is correct on Twitter when she states, "The government’s arrogance toward the work of this House nearly caught up to them in a very big way. I know they were embarrassed." Trudeau can fix this problem but if the Liberals continue to force the agenda without giving the opposition a chance then they will quickly become worse than the Harper government in the house. That is why all the MPs are upset. First the opposition played a dirty trick on Monday and the reaction, including the physicality on Wednesday was a direct and inappropriate response. What nobody seemed to know was that the debate could have been called to order before the Conservative whip took his seat in the house. And it is clear the NDP members were impeding, in a peaceful way, the Conservative whip from accessing his seat which is also not very mature IMO.
ReplyDeleteThey have a mandate. Canadians want them to work. Mulcair is just a West End Mob boy. Canadians seem to have the sense of what actually happened, judging from social media. Great!!
DeleteTS
hi John ...you make some very good points,and I'm not going to defend some of the procedural moves the Liberals have been making. A good Parliament needs to operate like you say it does. I think part of the problem is that the Liberals are still learning the ropes, and the other is that the relentless partisanship of the Cons has made some of them feel that it's no good even trying to collaborate because the Cins are only after cheap political points. I think once the time sensitive bills are passed, it might be time for a summer break... ;)
DeleteIf Mulcair had not engaged in parliamentary mischief (blocking Brown) Trudeau would not have left his seat.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thebeaverton.com/2690-entire-ndp-caucus-arrive-in-neck-braces-wheelchairs-to-house-of-commons-after-trudeau-s-assault.htm
The left side of the aisle was wide open... Brown didn't walk around because he was:
ReplyDeletea) trying to make a point
or
b) too dumb to figure out
and Justin didn't walk around because he's:
a) trying to make a point
b) too dumb to figure it out
c) too angry to figure it out
Hi Anon. I noticed that too. I think there (must?) may be a procedures rule that the government whip uses only the government side and opposition whip uses only the opposition side. So if one of the whips, or both of them?, uses the "other" side, the vote cannot be counted?
DeleteWhat really disgusted me was what Mulcair said to PMJT - "elbowing a woman, you're pathetic, you're PATHETIC!". I am shocked. Saying that to a PM !!!! He crossed the line big, big, time.
ReplyDelete