Politics

The QP Clip: Rob Clarke tames the House

The exchange you can’t miss from this afternoon’s Question Period
Nick Taylor-Vaisey
Journalists watch a T.V. as the Speaker of the House of Commons Peter Miliken tallies votes in the the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Tuesday, May 10, 2005 the Conservative party and Bloc Quebecois are pushing for a non-confidence vote. (CP Photo/Jonathan Hayward)
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This afternoon, Tory MP Rob Clarke stood to ask a question from the backbench. He couldn’t seem to maintain his colleagues’ attention. They were too busy heckling each other after Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and NDP MP Andrew Cash had finished insulting each other’s credibility. Speaker Andrew Scheer calmed the House. Clarke stood again. Heckling continued. Scheer again stood and singled out Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett, who was yelling loudly enough that Scheer could hear her in his seat across the chamber. “I can only imagine what it sounds like on that end of the floor,” he quipped. Several MPs stood to applaud their speaker.

Finally, Clarke got into his question. He briefly recounted his own experience as an RCMP officer in Saskatchewan, where he witnessed the death of fellow Mounties. He wondered if the government had an update on the situation in Moncton. As he concluded, parliamentarians on all sides of the House rose in tribute. What a transformation in the space of half a minute.