PM Carney touts ‘new’ Canadian government in his first ever question period

CTV’s Rachel Aiello breaks down PM Carney’s first question period, his tone, whether his media approach is shifting, and Poilievre's response.

Prime Minister Mark Carney touted “Canada’s new government” in his first ever question period in the House of Commons. Pressed about the Canada-U.S. trade war, as well as his plans for the budget and big projects, he implored the opposition parties to back his plans.

“Canada’s new government is acting immediately to grow this economy,” Carney said, in response to the third question he’s ever faced in the chamber.

“Canada’s new government, Mr. Speaker, is acting immediately to grow this economy, one Canadian economy out of 13, nation-building projects... working with the provinces to cooperate, we expect the support from the members’ opposite.”

That response came at the end of Official Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer’s first round of pressing the new prime minister. He opened the historic exchange by welcoming his Liberal rival.

“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,” Scheer said, before launching into his first question on Canada’s retaliatory tariffs.

Accusing the prime minister of “secretly” dropping its countermeasures “to effectively zero” – an apparent reference to the remissions approved for select sectors – Carney shot back that the federal government’s trade action is tailored to “have maximum impact on the United States, minimum impact on Canada.”

“Well, he didn’t take long to pick up old liberal habits of not being able to answer questions,” Scheer then said, before probing for Carney’s rationale for not tabling a federal budget until the fall.

Responding, Carney noted Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s “100 day” post-election plan didn’t include tabling a budget, before saying he does intend to advance major legislation in the days ahead.

As Carney’s office had confirmed ahead of time, the prime minister only took the leaders’ round of questions at the start of the hour of accountability, before deferring to his ministers to field the rest of the oppositions’ inquiries.

This is a break with a relatively new tradition implemented by his predecessor Justin Trudeau, seeing him take all the questions – and not just those asked by fellow party leaders – during question period on Wednesdays.

This decision saw him face just nine questions in all from Scheer, Conservative Quebec lieutenant Pierre Paul-Hus, and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, before the heat was off him and on to members of his cabinet.

Ahead of the showdown, some MPs said they were excited for the first question period, expecting Carney to remain as one said, “calm, cool, collected,” while others said they weren’t sure what to expect, but hoped the tone remained respectful.

Asked earlier today what he made of Carney returning to the practice of only fielding the first round of questions, Conservative MP Gerard Deltell said: “It’s not the number of answer that you give, it’s the kind of answer you give that’s most important.”

Meanwhile, Poilievre took it all in, from his office. Speaking to reporters from the foyer beforehand, the newly seatless politician said he’d “love to be in there.”

“It’s a great place. I love the House of Commons. I love the excitement and the thrill, and I’ve never really been a spectator of the House,” he said. “But I’m going to work hard to earn the opportunity to do it again.”

And, stripped of official party status after his caucus dwindled to under the requisite dozen members, NDP interim leader Don Davies did get a question in about Canada’s unemployment rate, but only in the final minutes of question period long after Carney stopped answering. It was answered by the Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu.

“I will work closely with my partners, indeed members across this House, to make sure that all Canadians have an opportunity to thrive as we see economic change,” she said in part.

With that, new House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia rose and said: “that completes our very first question period of the 45th Parliament.”