Speaker kicks Poilievre out of the Commons after he calls PM a 'wacko' in tense question period exchange
CBC
Speaker Greg Fergus kicked Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre out of question period Tuesday after a particularly nasty exchange with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Poilievre's day-long removal from 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.
Poilievre said it was a "wacko policy" backed by "this wacko prime minister." Fergus asked him to withdraw the "unparliamentary language."
Poilievre refused, saying only that he agreed to replace "wacko" with "extremist" or "radical." Poilievre's refusal prompted Fergus to remove him.
"There are a couple of things that are going on here today that are not acceptable," Fergus said.
He later called it a "remarkable question period" after MPs from all sides yelled at one another and called each other names.
Following Poilievre's removal, the Conservative caucus left the Commons chamber en masse, following their leader.
Trudeau fielded a few more questions Tuesday from Bloc and NDP MPs and then left the chamber after the fracas.
Poilievre turned to social media after getting the boot. "The Liberal speaker censored me for describing Trudeau's hard drug policy as wacko," he posted.
"Six people dying from overdoses every day in B.C. is wacko. Nurses worried about breastfeeding after breathing in toxic drug fumes is wacko. This is a wacko policy from a wacko PM that's destroying lives."
Trudeau also engaged in name-calling, saying at one point that Poilievre was a "spineless" leader.
He said Poilievre is trying to "earn votes through personal attacks" after the Conservative leader raised Trudeau's past episodes of wearing blackface.
Trudeau accused Poilievre of courting "white nationalist groups" with his visit to an anti-carbon tax protest camp in the Maritimes earlier this month.
While at the camp, Poilievre stepped into a trailer that had a symbol associated with Diagolon drawn on the door.
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