Trudeau accuses Conservatives of making homophobic comment during rowdy question period
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is being asked to investigate whether a Conservative MP made homophobic comments involving the prime minister on the floor of the House of Commons Wednesday.
The incident, which tipped an already rowdy question period into an all-out yelling match, started with a question from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre about the government’s controversial purchase of a luxury apartment for its consul general in New York.
While listing off features of the condo, including “a handcrafted copper soaking tub,” Poilievre asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau if he visited Consul General Tom Clark at the new residence on his recent trip to the U.S.
Not long after Poilievre asked that question, a voice off-camera was heard making a comment about a bathtub that received a loud laugh.
The House of Commons’ microphones and cameras didn’t pick up the full comment or identify who made it.
A few moments later, a voice was heard asking, “Did Tom get the top bunk?”
It’s not clear if the same person made both comments.
When Fergus called on MPs to stop speaking out of turn, Trudeau quipped, “We’re used to casual homophobic comments from the other side of the House.”
The House then erupted in shouted demands for the prime minister to be kicked out for unparliamentary language.
Fergus said he heard a comment but could not tell who made it. While pleading with MPs to “treat each other with the presumption of honour and respect,” he asked Trudeau to withdraw his comment.
“Standing up to bullies requires us to call them out on their crap sometimes and that’s what I will do,” Trudeau responded.
“I will happily withdraw my comment if the member who suggested that I was sharing a bathtub with Tom Clark stands up, takes responsibility.”
After another round of yelling and calls to “kick him out,” Trudeau withdrew what he characterized as his “comment about defecating.”
Fergus then allowed Trudeau to continue with his response to the original question.
Right after question period, NDP MP Blake Desjarlais rose on a point of order to ask Fergus to review the recording of what he called a “derogatory, homophobic and cowardly” comment coming from the Conservative benches.
Fergus said he would consider Desjarlais’ request and get back to the chamber if “this is necessary.”
Earlier this year, Poilievre was kicked out of the House of Commons came after he called Trudeau a “wacko” for supporting B.C.’s past policy of decriminalizing some hard drugs in an attempt to reduce the number of overdose-related deaths.
Sebastian Skamski, a spokesperson for the Conservatives, said a Conservative MP rightly questioned how a “handcrafted copper soaking tub” could be needed to conduct diplomatic meetings.
“Of course there is no justification for wasting taxpayer dollars on these luxury features and the prime minister was clearly lying to gin up fake outrage to distract Canadians from this colossal waste of money,” he said in a media statement.
