Mark Carney meets the battleground of question period

One of Mark Carney's greatest advantages over the last five months — the first five months of his political career — has seemingly been his ability to play the part of the adult in the room. 

One of the defining characteristics of the House of Commons is its ability to make grown men and women act like children.

Carney's arrival in the House of Commons, as both a newly elected MP and the prime minister of Canada, might thus set up a certain test of wills.

"I would like to welcome the prime minister to his first official question period," said Andrew Scheer, the interim leader of His Majesty's Official Opposition, on Wednesday after the Speaker announced that the time had arrived for oral questions. "This is where democracy lives and this is where we provide rigorous scrutiny on every word he says and every dollar he spends on behalf of Canadians."

After welcoming Carney to the arena, Scheer — an MP with nearly 21 years of experience, including four as Speaker — pressed on with a question about Canada's current levels of tariffs on products imported from the United States, a matter that has come into some dispute since the election. Scheer took the view that Carney had somehow failed to be honest with Canadians.

Standing to respond, Carney first took a moment to thank his constituents in Nepean for electing him.

"Could you also," Carney continued, addressing the Speaker, "indulge me to —"

"Time!" called out a voice from the Conservative side.

Carney smiled good-naturedly and nodded at his tormentor.

"... say how great it is to see you in the Speaker's chair and I trust that you are operating under the period of grace, that will not be accorded to me, appropriately as the leader of the Opposition just said."

Carney proceeded to pump his fist a bit and raise his voice and assure the House that Canada's tariffs were calculated to have "maximum impact" on Americans and "minimum impact" on this country and that all revenue would be used to support Canadian workers. But his time expired without a direct response to Scheer's charges.

"Mr. Speaker," Scheer lamented, "he did not take long to pick up old Liberal habits of not being able to answer questions." 

The first question period of the 45th Parliament proceeded from there, largely reverting to the traditional din of taunts, platitudes and ritualistic clapping.

Until now, every person to occupy the prime minister's seat in the House of Commons has spent at least some time elsewhere in the House before taking that chair. The nearest point of comparison for Carney might be someone like Lester B. Pearson, who was a celebrated diplomat before he decided, at the age of 51, to enter federal politics.