(Ottawa) Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is a “Pinocchio”, says the Conservative opposition, which accuses him of “historical revisionism” after police forces denied having claimed that the Emergency Measures Act to put an end to the blockages at the beginning of the year.
Posted at 5:13 p.m.
“Pinocchio seems to be the new nickname for the Minister of Public Security,” Pierre Paul-Hus, MP for Charlesbourg–Haute-Saint-Charles, said during question period on Monday in Ottawa, which immediately sparked controversy. indignation of MPs present in the Commons.
Speaker of the House Anthony Rota immediately called him to order for comparing the minister to the fictional character whose nose grows every time he lies or alters the truth.
“I want to remind the MP that you can’t do indirectly what you can’t do directly,” he said.
On three occasions the member quoted the minister’s remarks, who stated that he had invoked the law on the recommendation of the police.
Ignoring the president’s warning, Paul-Hus claimed in subsequent questions that the minister “deliberately misled Canadians” and asked him “when is he going to admit the truth.”
Photo Sean Kilpatrick, archives The Canadian Press
MP for Charlesbourg–Haute-Saint-Charles Pierre Paul-Hus
In response, Minister Mendicino argued that the decision to invoke the Emergency Measures Act was “necessary”.
“And yes, we consulted with the police before the summons,” he added. Yes, we sought the advice of the police forces before the summons. »
Minister Mendicino was the target of numerous attacks during Monday’s exchanges, including a virulent spat with another Conservative MP.
“Looks like the Minister of Public Security studied Vladimir Putin’s theory of historical revisionism,” James Bezan, the Conservative ethics critic, sent him, accusing him of “making up these facts to justify “his liberal takeover”.
The response was not long in coming. Mr. Mendicino denounced the comparison with the Russian president to deal with such a file.
“It degrades this place,” he offered to applause. This belittles what is happening in Ukraine and it is absolutely false, Mr. President. He should be reprimanded for that. He should remove that comment. »
In mid-May, Ottawa’s acting police chief said he had not asked the federal government to invoke the Emergency Measures Act to end the “freedom convoy” in February. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Brenda Lucki had made similar comments a week earlier.
Mme Lucki explained that the emergency powers made it easier for the police to put down the protest that lasted for weeks in the streets of Ottawa and that the RCMP officers would have liked to have had access to these emergency powers sooner.