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Wednesday, July 22, 2020 · sitting No. 44

Commons debates WE Charity contract in lengthy COVID-19 session

The House devoted most of its time to Government Orders on the COVID-19 pandemic and other matters. Conservative MP Andrew Scheer pressed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on sole-source contracts awarded to WE Charity, including payments to family members and the use of a shell corporation for real estate. Trudeau replied that the non-partisan public service had recommended the approach and that details were handled at the officials' level.

Scheer asked whether Trudeau knew the corporation had no history of charitable work and existed only to hold property. Trudeau stated that governments of all stripes had previously worked with the organization and that the civil service negotiated the specific contract.

Later the House took up Government Business No. 9. Liberal MP Karen McCrimmon described pandemic effects on vulnerable groups and the need for continued federal-provincial collaboration on housing and supports.

From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard

No CPAC Question Period upload is on file for this day. CPAC’s channel goes back to December 2019.

Who held the floor · 2020-07-22

Government (Liberal)OppositionOver the day: government 48%, opposition 52% of the words spokenGovernment business▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 12:0513:0014:0015:00Last speech 16:00Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 3 h 55 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
30Another sitting that went nowhereThe sitting focused almost entirely on COVID-19 and government business with little procedural interruption. No bills advanced and no votes were held.AI-rated Score out of 100; the verdict and the answer ratings behind it are a model’s reading. How the AI rates this

AI-rated The sitting score and the rating of each answer come from a language model reading Hansard. How the AI rates this

Other moments

Privilege

The Speaker delivered a ruling on a question of privilege raised by the Leader of the Opposition concerning remarks by the Prime Minister about co-operation with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner on SNC Lavalin matters.

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Government Business No. 9

Green MP Jenica Atwin asked McCrimmon whether safe affordable housing is a right and whether she supports a rent freeze during the pandemic.

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Government Business No. 9

New Democrat MP Heather McPherson asked McCrimmon whether $600 is sufficient for seriously disabled veterans.

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Government Business No. 9

Bloc Québécois MP Christine Normandin asked McCrimmon to recognize the role of Quebec and the provinces in social services and health during the pandemic.

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