NDP MP Pat Martin had an explanation for his brief absence from the House during a vote Thursday, and his reasons threatened to drive a wedgie through Canadian politics.
Conservative MP Royal Galipeau asked for clarification from Deputy Speaker Joe Comartin on the validity of a vote from a member who had left his seat.
MPs were voting on a procedural motion, and Martin left the House during the vote.
Comartin asked Martin whether he would like to respond to Galipeau, and Martin explained why he left his seat “briefly” in the middle of the proceedings.
“I can blame it on a sale that was down at the Hudson’s Bay,” Martin said. “They had men’s underwear on for half price. I bought a bunch that was clearly too small for me and I find it difficult to sit for any length of time.”
By this point, many MPs had begun to laugh.
“So I apologize if it was necessary for me to leave my seat briefly, but I did not mean to forfeit my right to vote,” Martin concluded.
After Martin sat down, Comartin paused to consider his ruling before saying that Martin’s vote counted because he was in his seat for the actual vote.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said he was “having trouble breathing” from laughing so hard during Martin’s explanation, and chalked it up to a spur-of-the-moment joke.
“And that’s the beauty of being Pat Martin,” Mulcair told CTV’s Power Play on Thursday evening.
“He did it just as a light moment, something that popped into his head because he had moved during the vote and you’re not supposed to do it. Kudos to Deputy Speaker Joe Comartin who said ‘I’ll deal with this briefly.’ Everybody had a little fun, and I guess that’s also good.”
