(Ottawa) NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was so angered by the derogatory remarks that his opponent Pierre Poilievre had just made that he jumped out of his seat during question period to let him know. And according to elected officials who witnessed the incident, the leader’s attitude was belligerent, even “intimidating.”
The incident was not captured by cameras or microphones because it happened when no one was speaking. But MPs from both political parties confirmed that Singh left his seat to approach Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s.
“He had a posture as if he were inviting Mr. Poilievre to fight. It was like: ‘Come on, come tell me to my face.’ He had a really intimidating posture; even I was getting ready to stand up,” Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus recounted in an interview.
« C’était vraiment une forme d’agression […] “He was yelling at Mr. Poilievre. It was like bravado. I had the impression that he wanted to fight. My boss remained seated and did not react,” adds the elected official, according to whom the whole thing lasted about thirty seconds.
The incident came after the Conservative leader taunted his NDP opponent for refusing to support a non-confidence motion he plans to table next week in hopes of bringing down the Trudeau government.
“He’s a hypocrite, a cheat, and a fraud. How could anyone believe what this sellout NDP leader says in the future?” said Pierre Poilievre, again accusing Jagmeet Singh of basing his decisions on when he will be eligible for his MP pension.
In the seconds that followed, the elected members of the Conservative benches directed their gaze to their left, where the majority of the NDP MPs are seated. While Pierre Poilievre seemed to say ” Must ” (“Come on!”), two of his deputies made a grand gesture, as if inviting someone to come closer.
That’s what Jagmeet Singh did, confirms the representative of another political party. “He got up, he went to Pierre Poilievre and said something like: ‘Come and talk to me in the face,'” explained this person.
According to a source not affiliated with a party, the leader reportedly said in English: ” I’m right here. I’m right here, bro » (“I’m right here. I’m right here, man”).
The New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Conservative Party of Canada had not yet provided comments at the time of publication, early Thursday evening.
A stormy return
The summer break has clearly not calmed the minds of elected officials. Since the parliamentary session resumed on Monday, insults have been flying from all sides, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, Greg Fergus, has struggled to maintain order in the chamber.
Officially in the minority again due to the end of its alliance with the NDP, Justin Trudeau’s government is at the mercy of the Bloc Québécois and the NDP, which the Conservative Party needs to bring down the Liberals.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has begun using question period as a platform to mock both parties instead of questioning the government, which is contrary to the normal operating rules of this accountability exercise.