Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday 91Ƶ and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
The unusually tense events saw Speaker Greg Fergus caution both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to rephrase their comments to avoid making direct accusations about the character of another MP.
The warnings came after Poilievre referred to Trudeau as 91Ƶthe guy who spent the first half of his adult life as a practicing racist,91Ƶ referring to photos that emerged of Trudeau dressed in black and brown face during the 2019 election.
Fergus warned Trudeau after he said Poilievre was 91Ƶshowing us exactly what shameful, spineless leadership looks like,91Ƶ and accused him of shaking hands with 91Ƶwhite nationalists.91Ƶ
The tense back-and-forth came as Poilievre and the Conservatives were attacking the Liberals for having allowed British Columbia to allow the decriminalization of hard drugs like heroin and fentanyl in public places, in public places, which the provincial NDP government is now asking Health Canada to reverse.
The Conservative argue the policy has caused great harm.
Trudeau ignored that issue completely, responding to each question about drugs by accusing Poilievre of associating with far-right extremists.
He said a person who does so is not fit to be prime minister.
He made the remarks after videos circulated online of Poilievre last week stopping at what protesters described as an anti-carbon price protest in Atlantic Canada.
The scene featured expletive-laden flags bearing Trudeau91Ƶs name.
At one point, videos show Poilievre exiting a trailer belonging to one of the protesters. Its exterior featured many images, including a symbol belonging to the far-right online group Diagalon.
The trouble in the House began to escalate when Speaker Greg Fergus ejected Conservative MP Rachael Thomas after she said he was 91Ƶacting in a disgraceful manner.91Ƶ
The tense exchange continued after her departure, with Trudeau saying Poilievre is a 91Ƶ19-year91Ƶ politician who made a choice to associate with that encampment.
91ƵAny leader that needs the support of a far-right white nationalist group to fundraise and get closer to power does not deserve elected office,91Ƶ the prime minister charged.
Poilievre said the prime minister91Ƶs words were only his 91Ƶlatest distraction91Ƶ from his own 91Ƶextremist policies.91Ƶ
91ƵWhen will we put an end to this wacko policy by this wacko prime minister?91Ƶ
Fergus then drew the line.
91ƵNo, no,91Ƶ he said. 91ƵThat is not acceptable.91Ƶ
He asked Poilievre to withdraw his comments, saying they were unparliamentary.
Poilievre didn91Ƶt withdraw, but said he would replace the word with 91Ƶextremist,91Ƶ which Fergus also rejected.
He then said he would replace it with 91Ƶradical,91Ƶ which Fergus did not accept either.
He asked the Conservative leader to 91Ƶsimply withdraw91Ƶ the comment.
When Fergus asked Poilievre for a final time to take back his comment, the Conservative leader said, 91ƵI simply withdraw and replace with the aforementioned adjective.91Ƶ
Fergus then ordered him to leave the chamber and not participate in further debate Tuesday, either in person or virtually.
Much of the Conservative caucus exited at the same time, and all of them eventually left before question period was over.
Government House leader Steven MacKinnon emerged from the House a few moments later, calling what had just unfolded a 91Ƶdisgrace.91Ƶ
91ƵIt91Ƶs a disrespect for our institutions, a disrespect for the Speaker.,91Ƶ he said.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said the incidents in the House showed evidence of a double standard and said Poilievre was speaking the truth.
91ƵIf you look at the definition of wacko, it is literally what the Liberal government is doing in terms of holding on to the policies of decriminalizing hard drugs like heroin and crack,91Ƶ she said.
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet was clearly pleased by the events, thanking Fergus in French for showing 91Ƶcommon sense91Ƶ in the chamber.
Bloc MP Louis Plamondon, the longest serving MP in the House having been elected in 1984, said Poilievre91Ƶs comment was 91Ƶinsulting.91Ƶ
He said he has not seen a party leader ejected in 40 years on the Hill and doesn91Ƶt remember a party staging a mass walkout either.
Conservative MP Arnold Viersen said watching Poilievre get ejected was upsetting.
91ƵThe Speaker is supposed to be a referee, not a participant.91Ƶ
91ƵIt shows his lack of respect for the institution,91Ƶ Joly said of Poilievre.
After leaving, Poilievre posted on X that Fergus 91Ƶcensored91Ƶ him for calling Trudeau91Ƶs drug policies 91Ƶwacko.91Ƶ
And in a written statement, the Conservatives doubled down on the use of the word, saying it91Ƶs been uttered in the House of Commons many times in the past without being considered unparliamentary.
The party said Fergus kicked Poilievre out to protect the prime minister.
The Liberals continued their attacks on Poilievre outside the chamber.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said X that 91Ƶlast week Pierre Poilievre showed us who his friends are when he met with known white supremacists. Today, he showed us the regard he holds for our democracy.91Ƶ
Liberal MP Charles Sousa said Poilievre loves to criticize and attack and be 91Ƶcute91Ƶ about his questions.
But he charged that the Conservative leader is refusing to answer the question about why he chose to associate with a group displaying symbols of the far-right Diagalon group.
91ƵWhy is he associated with an extremist right organization like Diagalon?91Ƶ Sousa said.
91ƵI think that speaks a lot about who he is and his character. And I think that91Ƶs the real question today.91Ƶ
When asked what she thought about what happened after she was kicked out of the chamber, Harder quipped: 91ƵPretty wacko.91Ƶ