A day after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was kicked out of the House of Commons for comments he made about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the fallout continues, with the Tories now taking aim at the Speaker.
On their way into caucus meetings Wednesday morning, Conservative MPs had little to say about Poilievre’s remarks a day prior. However, they did make it clear what they think of Speaker Greg Fergus.
Tory MP Rick Perkins and others say he should resign.
“Several months ago, he lost the confidence of the Opposition then. He certainly lost it yesterday,” Perkins told reporters.
“He should resign — he’s a disgrace,” added MP Michael Cooper.
Fergus ejected Poilievre from the House of Commons after the Conservative leader called Trudeau a “wacko” and refused to withdraw the unparliamentary language despite several chances.
All Conservative MPs left the chamber in protest.
The prime minister had no comment Wednesday, though several members of his team did.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said she believes Poilievre should “grow up.”
“Canadians expect us to work, to deliver for them, and not to act as children. And the leader of the Opposition needs to stop acting as a child,” she said.
Poilievre said he would replace the word with “radical,” then that he would “simply withdraw and replace” the language with the term “extremist.” Fergus, meanwhile, said the Conservative leader was disregarding the authority of the chair.
Conservatives claim they are being silenced, and were quick to send out a fundraising email making that argument.
Government House Leader Steve MacKinnon says the Opposition leader decided to break the rules and accused him of throwing a fit when he had to face the consequences, comparing his opponent to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Mr. Poilievre has that in common with another person yesterday who walked out of a court room in New York saying he’s been gagged. These are the tactics of this very dark, extreme right-wing,” he said.
Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors, and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
The heated exchange Tuesday came after Conservative MP Rachael Thomas was kicked out of the chamber for disregarding instructions from the Speaker, whom she called “disgraceful.”
Immediately before the events, Trudeau had accused Poilievre of associating with far-right extremists and said a person who does so is not fit to be prime minister.
-With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
