As the confidence vote loomed, debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday devolved into a heated exchange of accusations, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggesting Conservative MPs had “feel free to make homophobic remarks”.
The furore began when Conservative Leader Pierre Poiriervre made a reference to the now-infamous $9 million New York City mansion purchased by the Canadian government as an official residence for Consul General Tom Clark.
“Did the prime minister tour this palace in the sky during his recent visit to New York?” Poirierbre asked, listing among the mansion’s features “a magnificent powder room” and a “handmade copper bathtub.”
Trudeau responded by saying he would “work with international leaders to combat climate change, resolve global crises, and stand firm in defending Ukraine,” but then the speaker stood up to address the heckling, and his microphone was cut off.
It was unclear what was said by anyone during the interruption, but the word “bathtub” can be heard, followed by the sound of several lawmakers laughing.
House Speaker Greg Fergus called for order and urged lawmakers “not to speak unless authorized by the Speaker.”
“Don’t worry, Mr Speaker,” the Prime Minister continued, “on this side of Parliament we are used to homophobic remarks coming from the other side of Parliament.”
This drew loud complaints and further heckling from the Conservatives and a standing ovation from the Liberals, with Fergus again stepping in, saying: “I heard the comment but didn’t intervene as I didn’t know who said it.”
He urged MPs to “treat each other with honour and respect” before calling on Trudeau to retract his comments.
“Mr. Speaker, sometimes standing up to bullies means calling them out for their shitty behavior,” Trudeau said, before being interrupted again by Fergus.
“Mr. Speaker, if any member who suggested that I shared a bathtub with Tom Clark will stand up and take responsibility, I will be happy to retract my statement,” Trudeau said, before Fergus interrupted him again.
“I was unable to hear or trace the source of that comment,” Fergus said, and reiterated his calls for the Prime Minister to “be a better man” and retract his comments.
Trudeau then stood up and retracted his “defecation comment” and acknowledged that using the word “shit” was “inappropriate for Parliament.”
About 30 minutes after the question-and-answer period ended, NDP MP Blake Desjarlais, who made history in 2021 as Canada’s first openly Two-Spirit member of Parliament, interrupted the proceedings, calling on Fergus to “review the tape and make a verdict.”
“During question time, very derogatory, homophobic and vulgar comments were clearly heard from a group of Conservative MPs directed at the Prime Minister,” Desjarlais said. “Conservative MPs clearly heard it because a number of MPs started laughing. I was listening to the Pearl View feed and heard the comments.”
“We will consider it and come back to the House of Commons if necessary,” Fergus said.
You can watch the full exchange in the video player at the top of this article.
With files from CTV News’ Rachel Haynes and Rachel Aiello
