Parliament AIIndependent · non-official

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Wednesday, March 10, 2021 · sitting No. 70

Commons spends most time debating net-zero emissions bill

The House devoted the largest share of its sitting to debate on the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. Members discussed timelines for emissions targets, the role of an advisory board and the need for parliamentary oversight of ministerial reports.

In Question Period, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole pressed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on why allegations of sexual misconduct against the former chief of the defence staff did not prompt an immediate demand for resignation or investigation in 2018. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois MP Mario Beaulieu challenged the government over unilingual English documents tabled at committee, calling it a violation of the Official Languages Act.

Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux told the House that eight million vaccine doses would arrive by the end of March, exceeding earlier targets, while Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre criticized the government for the highest unemployment rate and worst vaccination rate in the G7.

Decided that day

  • Bill C-18 passed third reading
  • Bill C-216 passed second reading
  • Opposition motion on tourism and airline support passed
  • Bill C-237 passed second reading
  • Bill C-205 passed second reading
  • Bill C-221 defeated at second reading

From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard

Question Period – March 10, 2021. Video from CPAC. Watch on YouTube

Who held the floor · 2021-03-10

Government (Liberal)OppositionOver the day: government 40%, opposition 60% of the words spokenQuestion PeriodGovernment businessPrivate members▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 14:0515:0016:0017:0018:0019:00Last speech 19:55Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 5 h 50 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
69Bills Advance While Answers Often DeflectThe sitting saw multiple bills move forward through readings and recorded votes, with over 80 percent of words devoted to substantive topics. Question period produced mostly deflected or partial replies, yet the House completed several legislative steps without points of order.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

National Defence

Conservative MP Michael Barrett said the defence minister had received evidence of misconduct from the military ombudsman yet sent the matter to the Prime Minister's Office instead of acting on it.

Read the exchange

Pensions

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet asked why the government would not raise old age security by $110 a month for all seniors starting at 65, as a majority of Parliament had requested.

Read the exchange

Natural Resources

Conservative MP Greg McLean pressed the Prime Minister on why Line 5 appeared to receive less attention than Keystone XL despite the risk to 30,000 Canadian jobs.

Read the exchange

Human Rights

Conservative MP Michael Chong asked the government to recognize that China is perpetrating a genocide against Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang.

Read the exchange

Employment

Conservative MP Raquel Dancho said 100,000 women remain out of the labour force and asked what plan the government has to help them return to work.

Read the exchange

Question Period, exchange by exchange

AI-rated Each answer’s rating (answered, partly answered, deflected, answered something else) is a model’s reading of the exchange. How the AI rates this

  1. deflected
    National DefenceErin O'Toole (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer affirms seriousness of misconduct but avoids explaining why no resignation was demanded.It is clear, though, that the many measures we have taken since being in government have not yet gone far enough and they have not moved fast enough.
  2. deflected
    National DefenceErin O'Toole (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer denies premise but does not address why allegations were allegedly ignored.that is simply not true. We take all allegations seriously and ensure they are followed up on by the appropriate independent authorities.
  3. deflected
    National DefenceErin O'Toole (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer repeats referral to authorities without addressing inconsistency in accountability standards.When the ombudsman came forward to the minister to say he had heard allegations, the minister directed him to those independent authorities who could follow up on an investigation.
  4. partly answered
    National DefenceErin O'Toole (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer directly states when details became known to the PM but does not explain contract extension.in 2018, my office was aware of the minister 's direction to the ombudsman, but my office and I learned of the details of the allegation through news reporting over the past months.
  5. answered
    National DefenceErin O'Toole (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer cites NACI guidance to justify the four-month interval policy.To ensure that as many people as possible are protected from COVID-19, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization said that second doses can safely be delayed up to four months.
  6. partly answered
    PensionsMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer lists past and planned supports but does not address fairness claim or universal access.
  7. deflected
    PensionsMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer lists supports without addressing the specific call for an immediate increase starting at 65.We plan to increase old age security by 10% for seniors when they turn 75.
  8. answered
    Official LanguagesMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer directly refutes the claim and states documents were provided in both languages.The committee then received the documents in both official languages.
  9. deflected
    HealthMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer lists existing supports and provincial cooperation without addressing removal of profit.We look forward to working with the provinces and territories to share best practices.
  10. misdirected
    COVID-19 Emergency ResponsePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer corrects a factual error and defends spending while attacking the opposition's position on costs.Of course, we hear the Conservatives say we spent too much, too quickly.
  11. deflected
    COVID-19 Emergency ResponsePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer shifts to general thanks and mental health resources instead of addressing results or misery index.Wellness Together Canada has provided hundreds of thousands of Canadians with confidential support during the tough times of the pandemic.
  12. deflected
    COVID-19 Emergency ResponsePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer expresses understanding of frustration but pivots to defending past supports without addressing changes or failures.I can understand the frustration of the member opposite, being among the many Canadians who have lost their jobs during the pandemic.
  13. partly answered
    EmploymentMs. Raquel Dancho (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer acknowledges the she-cession and highlights child care but offers no concrete recovery plan.That is why investments in child care continue to be at the forefront of the intentions of the government.
  14. partly answered
    EmploymentMs. Raquel Dancho (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer mentions existing strategies and child care but does not outline a specific plan for affected sectors.A number of years ago, we set up a close to $5-billion women's entrepreneurship strategy that has let women entrepreneurs succeed right across the country.
  15. partly answered
    EmploymentErin O'Toole (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer cites past supports and child care but does not provide a new workforce re-entry plan.However, indeed, one of the most pressing recommendations made by everyone on how to support women in the workforce is to move forward on child care.
  16. misdirected
    Official LanguagesMr. Mario Beaulieu (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer calls the claim false and attacks the Bloc instead of addressing the language violation.unlike the members of the Bloc, we will protect French across Canada.
  17. deflected
    Official LanguagesMr. Mario Beaulieu (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Question builds in multiple unproven accusations of failure; answer attacks Bloc motives instead of addressing credibility or specific claims.once again we see that the Bloc Québécois's goal is to undermine francophones' trust in Canada
  18. deflected
    HealthMr. Richard Martel (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Question accuses of half-measures and asks when health transfers will increase; answer restates past spending without addressing timing or new commitments.$8 out of every $10 spent to help people during this pandemic did not come from the provinces or the territories, but from the federal government
  19. partly answered
    HealthMr. Richard Martel (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Question asks for immediate commitment on transfers; answer directly states the timing will be after the pandemic.Once this pandemic is over, we plan to sit down with the provinces and we will increase health transfers
  20. answered
    HealthMichelle Rempel Garner (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Question asks if PM is confident the dosing delay will not cause variants; answer directly cites NACI guidance and states confidence in experts.I listen to our experts, and I am confident that our experts know what they are doing
  21. misdirected
    HealthMichelle Rempel Garner (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Question repeats variant concern and accuses political motives; answer attacks Conservatives on science instead of addressing the dosing decision.we have all seen Conservative politicians casting doubt on science and casting doubt on experts
  22. answered
    Veterans AffairsMs. Rachel Blaney (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Question asks what the PM will do about ignored pleas and GBA+ reports; answer commits to following up with the minister.I will be following up on it with the minister to make sure that we are delivering on our commitment as a feminist government
  23. deflected
    National DefenceMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Question demands apology for gaslighting ombudsman; answer restates process without addressing the request or prior knowledge.we take all allegations seriously and ensure they are followed up by the appropriate independent authorities
  24. partly answered
    National DefenceMs. Leona Alleslev (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Question asks what PM knew and when about allegations; answer clarifies details came from media but avoids full timeline of awareness.my office and I learned of the details of the allegations in media reports over the past couple of months
  25. answered
    National DefenceMs. Leona Alleslev (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly addresses what the PM knew and when regarding the allegations.my office and I learned of the details of the allegations over the past months only.
  26. deflected
    National DefenceMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids addressing whether the clerk hid facts or the ombudsman lied.My office and I learned the details of the allegations from the media last month.
  27. deflected
    National DefenceMr. James Bezan (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer sidesteps the specific question about ordering a board of inquiry by emphasizing general principles.It should not be ministers or politicians investigating allegations.
  28. answered
    Agriculture and Agri-FoodMr. Yves Perron (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly confirms support for the bill as asked.our government will support Bill C-216 at this stage
  29. partly answered
    HealthMs. Kristina Michaud (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer discusses general quarantine measures but does not specifically explain the land border policy difference.We will do whatever it takes to ensure that people follow the quarantine and public health rules.
  30. deflected
    Human RightsMrs. Tracy Gray (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids explaining the vote against the study by noting committee independence.committees are independent, and they will continue their work independently.
  31. partly answered
    Human RightsMichael Chong (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer acknowledges the report and concerns but does not commit to a timeline or recognition of genocide.We take allegations of genocide very seriously.
  32. deflected
    Human RightsErin O'Toole (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer sidesteps the accusation of inconsistency by stressing the need for allied coordination.a government has a responsibility to take action, and any action must be taken with our allies.
  33. deflected
    Natural ResourcesMs. Marilyn Gladu (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer discusses general advocacy efforts but does not address whether Biden said he would intervene.When I met with the President, I underlined how Canada is a reliable source of energy contributing to U.S. energy security and economic competitiveness.
  34. deflected
    Natural ResourcesMr. Greg McLean (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer reiterates support for energy workers and pipelines but avoids explaining what makes Line 5 different from Keystone XL.We are continuing to advocate the continuation of Line 5 and will continue to, because we know how important it is to Canadian energy and energy workers.
  35. misdirected
    Natural ResourcesErin O'Toole (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer accuses Conservatives of fearmongering and cheap political games instead of addressing the mediator plan or Line 5 talks.I can assure Canadians that despite the fearmongering going on from the Conservatives, we will continue to stand up for Canadian jobs and Canadian interests throughout our work as government.
  36. partly answered
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMs. Jenny Kwan (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer addresses screening and compliance but does not directly confront the CCP ownership concern raised.Officials regularly carry out inspections and audits to ensure compliance with Canada's privacy standards, most recently in December of last year.