In the most recent House of Commons debate, a disturbing, yet unsurprising scene unfolded. The Speaker of the House, Greg Fergus, apparently cut off the microphones as the Conservatives posed challenging questions   to the Liberal government. 

The Liberals, in their typical fashion, unwilling to face scrutiny, refused to answer the question, with Karina Gould literally instructing Liberal ministers to sit back down and refrain from answering.

Just when you think the Liberals couldn’t stoop any lower, they decide to surprise you and actually do.

This silencing sets a dangerous precedent and proves that our democratic rights as citizens are being trampled upon.

Today it is the Conservatives who have been silenced – who will it be tomorrow

In the most recent question period, a heated exchange erupted between Conservative Leader, Pierre Poilievre and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Karina Gould.

The exchange was so tense that the Speaker of the House, Greg Fergus, actually had to momentarily pause the debate.

In his typical manner, Pierre Poilievre stood in front of the House of Commons and criticized Trudeau’s costly carbon tax. He cited a recent report by Feed Ontario, the province’s largest collective of food banks and hunger-relief organization, which according to Poilievre, has “staggering numbers.”

And there’s no lie there, as Feed Ontario’s 2023 Hunger Report is painting a stark picture of food insecurity in Canada’s most populous province.

The report showed that over 800,000 people in Ontario relied on food banks last year, being the highest number ever recorded. People went to food banks more than 5.9 million times in 2022 to get emergency food support.

The report explains that the large increase in food bank use is connected to more people having unstable, low-paying jobs without benefits. Another factor is the lack of investment in affordable housing in Ontario. These things have made it increasingly harder for many Canadians to afford basic necessities like food.

Poilievre made sure to highlight just that in the most recent House of Commons session.

Poilievre was also quick to pressure Trudeau and call on him to not only put a stop to his alleged plans to “quadruple the carbon tax,” but also work on getting Bill C-324 to pass in the Senate, which would implement a carbon tax cave-out for Canadian farmers.

In response, Deputy Prime Minister, Freeland quickly shot at Poilievre, and outrightly called the Conservatives’ plan “nonsense.”

After the Liberal minister barely gave an explanation, Poilievre felt the need to reiterate his points, once again citing Feed Ontario’s recent report.

This is where things really started to heat up. After Poilievre’s remarks, Government House Leader, Karina Gould, felt that the adequate response to the Conservative Leader was literally claiming that he “just can’t tell the truth to Canadians.”

Her snarky comment immediately garnered a response from the opposition, with several yells and shouts being heard coming from across the aisle.

After the House erupted, Greg Fergus had to pause question period due to Karina Gould accusing Pierre Poilievre of being dishonest, and had to remind MPs to maintain diplomatic decorum and not step outside what is considered “parliamentary.”

Not very parliamentary, indeed, Mrs. Gould.

Swiftly moving past the blatant accusations, Poilievre then further elaborated his stance in front of the House of Commons, explaining the dire conditions Canadians are forced to live in under Justin Trudeau, including a farmer in Polievre’s own riding, who is struggling under Trudeau’s costly carbon tax.

However, the request from the Speaker didn’t seem to do much, as Gould then got up again after essentially calling Poilievere a liar, but this time calling his actions “shameful.”

Right next to Gould, Chridyta Freeland can be seen cheering her on and nodding her head. What remains unclear, however, is whether she realized her microphone was on as she kept repeating the word “shameful” while fixing her hair, as Gould continued to attack the Conservatives.

Several opposing yells could be heard from all around the House, and as MP Alain Therrien got up to speak, fellow Québécois MP Rhéal Éloi Fortin, seated right behind Therrien, could be seen gesturing towards the Speaker to actually address Karina Gould’s unparliamentary actions, and their effect of the House.

Therrien couldn’t even continue his speech as the House was in unrest, and called on the Speaker to do something.

Greg Fergus then stood up, waited for the commotion to die down and then gave the floor back to Therrien to continue, strikingly similar to an upset teacher glaring at their students to stop their side talks.

In another exchange moments later, it also appears that the Speaker of the House turned off the microphone in the House of Commons so Canadians didn’t hear what was being said.

As Conservative MP John Barlow stood up to present his speech, the House then erupted once again as Barlow pressured Trudeau’s liberals to pass Bill-324 in the Senate.

As Chrysia Freeland continued preaching her so-called plan to “invest in Canadians,” Barlow didn’t buy it at all, and sarcastically joked about the Agriculture minister not replying to Barlow’s question.

As Barlow called out the Liberals for blocking the bill and refusing to ease the carbon tax burden on farmers, several cheers could be heard from his fellow Conservative MPs.

However, on the other side of the aisle, Karina Gould could be visibly seen instructing the Agriculture Minister, Lawrence MacAulayto, to sit back down instead of answering the Conservatives’ question. 

The House then erupts in response. It seems that even the Liberals don’t trust their Ministers.

As the House erupted It seems the Speaker of the House of Commons turned off the microphones so Canadians could not hear the discussion happening. This prevented Canadians from listening to their elected representatives speak in Parliament, which literally defeats the whole point of having these parliamentary discussions in the first place.

The speaker, Greg Fergus, could even be seen slyly smirking while muting the elected members of parliament.

The Speaker of the House of Commons, who is paid with taxpayer dollars, seems comfortable cutting off the microphones and censoring what is said in Parliament

In a democracy, citizens should be able to freely observe the parliamentary proceedings involving their elected representatives. By blocking public access to the discussions in the House of Commons, the Speaker has undermined democratic principles.

The entire incident in the House epitomizes the lengths the Liberals will go to dodge accountability.

From Karina Gould’s baseless accusations and her so-called “democratic principles,” to the Speaker’s complicity in censoring elected members reveals the lengths to which Liberal appointees will go.

Accountability is kryptonite to Trudeau’s government, and it’s no secret to most Canadians, as Trudeau can be seen plummeting in the polls recently.

The Liberals act as though power means never having to justify yourself to Canadians. 

This silencing of parliamentary voices lays bare the Liberals’ playbook. Dodge questions, stifle dissent, undermine transparency – literally anything to evade accountability. Karina Gould and the Speaker may have muted microphones and thrown around baseless accusations to evade accountability yesterday, but their disregard for democracy speaks volumes about the government’s integrity.

Canadians deserve representatives who embrace scrutiny, not cower from it. Until the Liberals respect the accountability to democracy, skepticism about their governance will continue to be warranted.