It’s not what most Canadians think of when they hear the words “bench clearing.”
But the allegations are that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “manhandled” a Conservative MP and elbowed an NDP MP in the House of Commons Wednesday.
We turned to social media and CPAC video and found ourselves watching the donnybrook in slow-mo replay like NHL referees reviewing a challenged play.
Almost all agree the elbowing was unintentional – but also that it never should have happened in the first place.
Justin Trudeau apologized, and rightly so. We don’t need a display of his well-known pugilistic talents in the House. It was an embarrassing and distinctly unparliamentary moment.
Following the Westminster tradition, the government and Opposition benches in Parliament are 3.96 metres apart – said to be two sword lengths – the idea being the two sides will debate the issues of the day without ever resorting to violence.
Of course, if we’re entirely fixated on the bad behaviour of the PM, we’re missing the bigger picture of what happened in this sorry display.
At issue was the Liberals’ controversial legislation on doctor-assisted dying. It deserves a full debate – something the Liberals had tried to limit. And the NDP appeared to be obstructing a Conservative MP from returning to his seat to stall a vote.
Perhaps if all parties showed a little more respect for democracy, stunts like this wouldn’t escalate in the first place.
In the meantime, we advise JT to take a deep breath, remain in his seat and get on with the serious business of the nation.
Guest editorial from the North Shore News
