Canada: Opposition leader removed from Parliament after calling Trudeau 'wacko'
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada's main opposition party, was removed from the House of Commons after he called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "a wacko." The incident began when Poilievre blasted Trudeau for refusing to crack down on drug overdoses. The unusually tense event saw Speaker Greg Fergus warn both Trudeau and Conservative leader Poilievre to rephrase their comments to avoid making blatant judgments about another MP's character.
Why does this story matter?
The exchange occurred while Poilievre and the Conservatives were criticizing the Liberals for allowing British Columbia to decriminalize hard narcotics, including heroin and fentanyl, in public areas. The Conservatives contend that the policy has been quite detrimental. However, Trudeau totally disregarded the matter, accusing Poilievre of being associated with far-right radicals in response to every drug-related query. Notably, British Columbia asked the Canadian government to restrict public drug use after health workers voiced concerns about patients using drugs in hospitals.
Speaker dismisses Poilievre's comments as inappropriate
Commenting on the decriminalization of hard drugs, Poilievre said, "When will we put an end to this wacko policy by this wacko prime minister?" Speaker Fergus then asked him to withdraw his words as they were unparliamentary. Poilievre did not withdraw but instead proposed replacing the word with "extremist," which Fergus rejected. He then proposed replacing it with "radical," which Fergus also rejected. Fergus begged the Conservative leader to "simply withdraw" his comment, which the latter refused.
Watch Poilievre calling Trudeau 'wacko' PM
Conservative caucus protests Poilievre's expulsion
When Fergus asked Poilievre for the last time to withdraw his comment, Poilievre said, "I simply withdraw and replace with the aforementioned adjective." Fergus then told him to stay away from the chamber and not take part in any more arguments on Tuesday, either in person or online. Following Poilievre's expulsion, the majority of the Conservative caucus exited the chamber in protest before the question period concluded.
Conservatives launch fundraiser following Poilievre's expulsion
The Conservatives capitalized on the incident by launching a fundraiser within an hour of Poilievre's removal. They defended their use of the term "wacko" in a written statement, arguing that it had been used in parliamentary discussions numerous times without being deemed inappropriate. Health Minister Mark Holland also supported Fergus's decision, stating that Poilievre was removed due to his refusal to retract his language.
