quote:

Culture, Heritage and Sport Minister Rochelle Squires accuses NDP MLA Rob Altemeyer of yelling "Take your pants off" during question period earlier this month, but he denies that's what he shouted.

Squires told the legislature this morning that Altemeyer shouted the phrase on Oct. 6, and the Progressive Conservatives had received a recording of the incident earlier Thursday.

Altemeyer rose in question period on Thursday afternoon and denied the accusation, stating he had actually said, "Take a pass on it."

"My words were, quote, 'Take a pass on it,'" Altemeyer said. "My words were referring to the premier and his inability to answer an important question from last week."

Altemeyer also tabled an audio recording from the day.

"It clearly indicates what I said and what I did not say," he said.

Squires said Thursday morning that her rights as a parliamentarian had been breached and demanded an apology.

She called the alleged outburst "outrageous, offensive and not befitting of this place."

After question period, NDP House leader Jim Maloway told reporters he thought the recording showed Squires was incorrect, and said he wanted an apology from her, instead of the other way around.

"The tape has been given to you so you can draw your own conclusions as to what the member said or did not say," he said.

"It's pretty clear that he didn't say what was suggested and attributed to him, and I would hope that the government member would apologize and retract as soon as possible."

Squires and government House leader Andrew Micklefield told reporters after question period they wouldn't speak more on the issue, in light of Speaker Myrna Driedger's request that MLAs keep mum on the matter until she returns with a ruling.

CBC News requested and received a copy of the tape from Driedger.

The accusation comes on the heels of an incident last week, when Progressive Conservative MLA Sarah Guillemard said three NDP members — including Altemeyer — singled out female PC MLAs and yelled "shame."

The NDP has since apologized for that incident.

Driedger also reprimanded members for tweeting about the incident before her ruling, and asked the entire chamber to refrain from speaking on the subject until her ruling was made.

Maloway said he thinks overall discourse in the House has "taken a couple of steps back" in the past few days, regressing after a respectful session in the spring.

He credited the improvement to new rules governing House behaviour brought in last year, which limited points of order and privilege in the chamber.

"We're going to watch this more closely from our side and we would ask the government to do the same on their side," he said.

DariusLikewise posted:

Meanwhile in Manitoba, I continue to hate this province

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/ndp-mla-take-your-pants-off-accusation-1.3803432

Postess with the Mostest posted:

quote:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/conservative-leadership-race-raitt-o-toole-1.3804633

Lisa Raitt steps down as Conservative finance critic to focus on leadership

Halton, Ont., MP still mulling bid as Erin O'Toole prepares to declare candidacy this morning

Former cabinet minister Lisa Raitt is resigning from her role as finance critic to focus on a potential bid for the federal Conservative Party's leadership.

In a series of early-morning statements on Twitter Friday, she thanked interim leader Rona Ambrose for the opportunity to serve over the last year. She said she had been making sure that holding the Liberal government to account on the economy was her top priority.

But now, "to ensure full attention, I am stepping aside as finance critic while I continue discussions on the future leadership of the party," she wrote.

Although she represents the riding of Milton, Ont., in the Greater Toronto Area, Raitt is originally from Cape Breton and is expected to emphasize her roots in Atlantic Canada in her potential leadership bid, particularly now that fellow Nova Scotian and former cabinet minister Peter MacKay has decided not to run.

Raitt recently disclosed that her husband has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. They just married at the end of the summer.

Erin O'Toole, another former cabinet minister from the Greater Toronto Area, is expected to join the race this morning.

quote:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/10/05/lisa-raitt-liberals-carbon-price-question-period_n_12363488.html

The Tory finance critic and possible leadership contender has recently taken to sharing anecdotes about real people to support her claims that Liberals are making life harder for Canadians.

Earlier this week, for instance, she asked the environment minister what she would tell her Aunt Collen in Cape Breton, N.S. — a “widow on a fixed income” — who fears carbon pricing will increase costs from food to gas.

On Wednesday, Raitt spoke of her friends Susan and Marie in Ontario.

Susan from Guelph

Raitt said Susan is a Guelph-based divorced mother of two kids in university who is feeling “a bit cash-strapped” these days as her hydro rates go up. She said Susan wants to keep her house for at least the next four years.

“And she doesn’t understand why this government doesn’t realize what her situation is because if they did, they would never raise her taxes,” Raitt said.

She asked Environment Minister Catherine McKenna what she wanted to tell her friend.

Francois Philippe Champagne, the parliamentary secretary to the finance minister, responded instead by saying Liberals reduced taxes for nine million middle class Canadians. He also lauded the Canada Child Benefit and deal to enhance the Canada Pension Plan.

“This is the government that is working for middle-class families, and we will continue to do so,” he said.

Marie the hockey mom

“Another friend of mine, Marie, has three boys…” Raitt began.

Some MPs on the other side grumbled, raising Raitt’s ire. The Tory MP got defensive.

“It’s not funny,” she said.

After a beat, the MP said Marie has three boys and a husband who just went on disability.

“They have a hard time making ends meet,” Raitt said. “She is trying to deal with it as best she can but the money is just not there.”

Social development minister lauds government

Now, Raitt said, Marie is hearing about “more taxes” and isn’t sure which of her boys won’t play hockey next year because her van needs to be filled with gas.

“What comfort do they have to give her?” she asked, sparking a standing ovation from her Tory colleagues.

Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos thanked Raitt for her “passion.”

Duclos also lauded the Canada Child Benefit, which he called the “most significant social policy innovation in a generation.” He said 300,000 children will be taken out of poverty because of that decision.

That remark also drew a standing ovation from Liberals, even though government MPs have mostly opted to avoid applause during question period.

The Liberal plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions begins in 2018 with a low carbon price of $10 per tonne that would rise by $10 per tonne each year until it reaches $50 per tonne in 2022.

Postess with the Mostest posted:

Postess with the Mostest posted:

PT6A posted:

Apparently Jim Prentice has died in a plane crash.

http://www.cbc.ca/1.3555839

CLAM DOWN posted:

At least link the actual rumour

http://ipolitics.ca/2016/10/14/jim-prentice-dead-in-plane-crash-source/

Powershift posted:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/jim-prentice-plane-crash-killed-1.3804941

not a rumor.

Risky Bisquick posted:

That's two politicians pretty quick by plane.

the trump tutelage posted:

Actually they were monoplanes.

Powershift posted:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/jim-prentice-plane-crash-killed-1.3804941

not a rumour.

Risky Bisquick posted:

At least use our language in our thread

PK loving SUBBAN posted:

If anyone sees any comments suggesting Prentice was killed by a Wynne/Trudeau conspiracy please share them I need them for a project do not ask what the project is.

Risky Bisquick posted:

She seems interested in 'local issues' only now that she seems to be running for leadership as a reform candidate. Maybe she should've made a statement about local issues before she lost her MoT when the election was called.

.

Powershift posted:

Never. That's one step away from having to post everything in french as well.

namaste faggots posted:

why does everyone treat this guy like a loving technology wizard

T.C. posted:

Haha, her two sets of 'friends' that are hurt by taxes are a family with two kids in university and a couple where one is on disability...

So her examples could easily be resolved by socializing university tuition and increasing disability support!

PK loving SUBBAN posted:

If anyone sees any comments suggesting Prentice was killed by a Wynne/Trudeau conspiracy please share them I need them for a project do not ask what the project is.

Postess with the Mostest posted: