Van Loan sorry for fracas in House

OTTAWA – Government House leader Peter Van Loan apologized Thursday for swearing in a verbal brawl that unfolded in the House of Commons Wednesday with NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Opposition House leader Nathan Cullen, but the NDP hasn’t said sorry for its part — at least not yet.

In the House Thursday morning, Van Loan asked Mulcair and the NDP to apologize for their role in the altercation, but that didn’t immediately happen, with Cullen saying the NDP is waiting to discuss the matter with Speaker Andrew Scheer before announcing its actions.

“I do acknowledge that I did use an inappropriate word when I was discussing this matter with the opposition House leader,” Van Loan told MPs in the Commons. “I should not have done that and I do apologize for that. I would expect the leader of the Opposition to do the same and I do hope that ... we can move forward and get on with the important business that Canadians want us to do.”

Cullen thanked Van Loan for the apology as well as interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae for raising the issue Thursday morning and asking for more civility in the Commons.

However, Cullen said he planned to speak with Scheer later Thursday before announcing any further actions by the official Opposition.

“It’s a bit premature until you and I have spoken in private and then we’ll be back to the House forthwith,” Cullen told the Speaker.

Tempers flared Wednesday over Bill C-45, the government’s budget legislation, which has passed third and final reading in the Commons. Van Loan was described by a Liberal MP as standing “nose to nose” and exchanging some heated words with Mulcair and Cullen.

The confrontation followed an NDP request for the Speaker to repeat a vote held Tuesday evening in the Commons that moved the bill from report stage to third and final reading.

The NDP had argued that vote was “illegitimate” by parliamentary rules because Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who moved the motion, wasn’t there for his own vote and, therefore, was “out of order.”

The government said the only mistake made was by deputy Speaker Joe Comartin, a New Democrat MP, who could have simply asked the motion to be moved by another minister on behalf of Flaherty.

Speaker Scheer ultimately ruled in favour of the government on Wednesday, saying another minister could move the motion.

Shortly after the Speaker’s ruling on Wednesday, a visibly upset Van Loan crossed the floor of the Commons, waving his finger at Cullen and using what the NDP said was “very abusive” language. The government insists Mulcair yelled at Van Loan, which spurred unparliamentary language.

NDP officials said Mulcair was simply standing up for Cullen. They say he told Van Loan: “Don’t threaten my House leader” and to get back to his own side of the House.

It was around that point that Defence Minister Peter MacKay, who sits next to Van Loan in the Commons, came over to calm his colleague and pull him back to the government side of the House.

On Thursday, the interim Liberal leader was the first to raise the issue in the Commons, urging all sides to show more decorum.

“It’s a little hard for us to carry on the normal business of the House without referring to the somewhat unusual transaction which took place on the floor of the House yesterday,” Rae said, asking if those involved wanted to indicate their “regret” of what took place. “We need to continue for the next several days in the House on a basis of a greater degree, perhaps of civility and willingness to engage in public discourse without insulting each other.”