The political week in review | The hill book

From Quebec to Ottawa, find out what caught the attention of our parliamentary correspondents this week.

Good week

Erin O’Toole, MP for Durham and former Conservative leader

In Ottawa, observers are unanimous: the former Conservative leader gave the best speech on the Beijing regime’s interference in the Canadian elections. And the best argument also in favor of a public inquiry. Mr. O’Toole wasn’t looking for the catchphrase to get on TV. He preferred substance to form. He also showed how to attack the Liberal government without lapsing into demagoguery. The Conservative MP thus gave a lesson to his successor Pierre Poilievre, who says he does not want to consult confidential information to keep his freedom of speech. Mr. O’Toole, on the other hand, accepted a briefing on such secret information, and that bolstered the credibility of his critics.

Paul Journet, The Press

hard week

Michael Rousseau, CEO of Air Canada

For decades, Air Canada has laughed in the face of Francophones. The airline is the embodiment of contempt for the French. The reports of the Commissioners of Official Languages ​​follow one another and are similar: the carrier accumulates complaints, it promises to do better and it continues to do worse. The report submitted this week was in line with this. The anecdotes revolve around the same scenario: English is the normal language, French speakers are asked if they understand it, then if they ask to be served in their language, they are made to feel intolerant. Michael Rousseau, CEO who boasts of being able to live in English in Montreal, told a good one: he promised to learn French. We feel bad for those who believed in it.

Paul Journet, The Press

number of the week

$195,000

This is the annual remuneration of the new president of the board of directors of Hydro-Québec, Manon Brouillette. This is a 63% increase over her predecessor, Jacynthe Côté, who received $119,360. In the office of Prime Minister François Legault, it is reported that it was “agreed that the chairman of the board of directors of Hydro-Québec should receive the same salary as the chairman of the board of directors of the Caisse de depot et placement of Quebec, because of the importance of the functions”.

The quote of the week

On the side of Quebec

The “league of old hair”?

Liberal MP Jennifer Maccarone made her colleagues in the parliamentary committee laugh a lot this week when she spoke of the “league of the old hair”, rather than the league of the old “stove” as the expression requires. The anecdote helped to ease tensions and also highlighted the fact that English-speaking MNAs enrich their knowledge of the colors and particularities of the French language spoken in Quebec by sitting in Parliament. One day, the elected Liberal promised, she will write her memoirs and relate all these expressions she learned and use now.

A “draft” government except when…

The Liberal troops of Marc Tanguay do not miss an opportunity to describe the Legault government as “draft” since the abandonment of its flagship promise of the third highway link. The CAQ even wanted to banish the unflattering qualifier in the House. However, now the interim Liberal leader declared at a press conference that the government was not “messy” in one file: the salary increase for elected officials! Thanks to Bill 24, which has the support of the Liberal Party, the 125 MPs will see their salaries increase by 30% at once, at least $30,000. One thing is certain, in the bank account, the gain will be clear, clean and precise… not messy at all!

On the Ottawa side

Shots below the belt

The issue of foreign interference arouses passions in the House of Commons. This week, Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre exchanged blows… below the belt. “Mr. Speaker, the problem with the Leader of the Opposition is that he really likes to hear himself talk, but he does not bother to check the facts,” the Prime Minister said in the Commons on Wednesday. . The reply from the Conservative leader was scathing. “The high school drama teacher across from us accuses other people of liking the sound of their own voice. These words come from a man who, if he were made of chocolate, would eat himself. The tone is set for the next election campaign.

The sacrilege of Pablo Rodriguez

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez loves Quebec culture. And he does not hesitate to quote Quebec songs to respond to questions from the Bloc Québécois. “Mr. Speaker, I was speaking directly to my friends from the Bloc Québécois, who are constantly looking for something to argue about. Speaking of chicanery, this reminds me of the famous song by the group of the same name, the Bloc has de la misery [en] calvary” and he has “resentment [en dedans]”. He was called to order by the Speaker of the House of Commons. “There are words that are not said. This word is not parliamentary. I would like the minister to continue without using swear words,” President Anthony Rota said.

question period

Mr. Sabia was chosen for his experience as a financier, but also as a manager. After his time at the Caisse de depot et placement, he chaired the board of directors of the Canada Infrastructure Bank, then he was Deputy Minister of Finance of Canada. He has therefore been involved in policies related to the energy transition. M^me Brochu came from the gas sector, whose role is criticized by some environmentalists. Facing Mr. Fitzgibbon, she defended the interests of the state-owned company, which fears that the CAQ government will authorize too many energy-intensive industrial projects when energy is already lacking. We can assume that Mr. Sabia will defend Hydro-Québec’s perspective in the same way. But as usual, the last word will go to his boss: the sole shareholder, the government.

Paul Journet, The Press