Liberal House leader Karina Gould kicked off the House session on Monday by calling Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre a “fraudster.”
“What I heard yesterday from Mr. Poilievre was so out of line, it was so irresponsible, immature and something that only a fraudster would do,” she said in the foyer of the Commons, addressing reporters.
The day before, the Conservative leader galvanized his caucus gathered to prepare for the parliamentary session. During a speech, he argued that carbon pricing is “an existential threat” to the Canadian economy and to Canadians’ way of life, to the point of causing “mass starvation” and “malnutrition.”
Mr. Poilievre also reiterated that he intends to table a motion of censure to try to bring down the government.
“When he focuses on having an election on carbon pricing, what he’s trying to do is distract Canadians from his real agenda,” believes Mr.me Gould.
She said Poilievre wants to slash dental benefits and cut the Old Age Security pension that seniors receive.
Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet, who succeeded Mr.me Gould, speaking in the foyer of the House, deplored the Liberals’ resort to insults.
He urged parliamentarians to tone down their attacks on each other. “I urge everyone again not to throw rocks in the schoolyard. It’s going to hurt someone at some point. People expect, I think, reasonable, responsible behavior,” he said.
The New Democrats have broken their support agreement with the Liberals, making the prospect of an early election more likely.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has indicated he will take each confidence vote on a case-by-case basis, but his party members have expressed little interest in a general election anytime soon.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals, for their part, maintain that they are focusing on their own agenda.
Several key bills are moving through the legislative process, including the Online Harms Act and the pharmacare bill, which is currently in the Senate.
The parliamentary session will also be marked by two by-elections taking place on Monday, when voters in the ridings of LaSalle — Émard — Verdun, in Montreal, and Elmwood — Transcona, in Winnipeg, are called to the polls.