PM spends question period deflecting single query on Aga Khan ethics probe

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been devoting one day each week to showcasing his idea for reforming question period, standing in response to all queries from opposition party leaders and backbenchers alike.

On Wednesday, the Conservatives — opposed to Liberal attempts to set the practice in stone — used it to their advantage.

Virtually every Tory question was about how many times the prime minister has met with the federal ethics commissioner about Trudeau’s controversial Bahamas vacation with the Aga Khan, the billionaire leader of the Ismaili Muslims.

“Has the prime minister met with the ethics commissioner, and if so, how many times?” asked Opposition House leader Candice Bergen, repeating a question that had just been asked in French.

“It is very, very simple.”

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So was Trudeau’s reply, an echo of the same answer he’s been giving for months.

“I am pleased to work with the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner to answer any questions she may have,” he said. “That is what Canadians expect of the prime minister, and that is exactly what I am doing.”

Then the echo kept on echoing — the same question asked multiple ways, followed by the very same answer. Trudeau even warned them he had only one answer, but that only egged them on.

“MPs from all over Canada finally get a chance to ask the prime minister a question,” tweeted Gerry Butts, Trudeau’s principal secretary. 

“They all ask about his Xmas vacation. It’s May.”  

With each exchange, the opposition heckles and catcalls grew ever louder, to the point that Speaker Geoff Regan had to intervene several times to calm everyone down.

At the root of the stalemate are the Liberal government’s contentious proposals to change parliamentary procedure, which include devoting one question period a week to grilling only the prime minister, similar to how it’s done in the U.K.

Trudeau has been test-driving the idea in recent weeks, even as his government waged a protracted fight with the Conservatives and NDP over the proposed changes.

The Conservative caucus had been planning to undermine Trudeau’s question-period tactic by repeating a single uncomfortable question, said one source familiar with the plan. But the duration and intensity of Wednesday’s attack was somewhat spontaneous.

The ethics commissioner’s office also wouldn’t answer the question, saying any dealings with an MP regarding their compliance with the Conflict of Interest Act or the Conflict of Interest Code are confidential.

That did not stop the Conservatives, who tried many different ways, including a multiple-choice question from MP Cathy McLeod.

“I will try a different angle: (a) was it zero times the prime minister met with the ethics commissioner, (b) was it one to five, or (c) six to 10?” she asked.

Trudeau chose none of the above, following up his standard response with what he said the Liberal government is doing for the middle class. Even NDP Leader Tom Mulcair joined in at one point, prompting an uproarious response from the Conservatives.

So, will the Tories try it again?

Said Conservative MP Gerard Deltell: “Just watch us.”

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Joanna Smith, The Canadian Press