Van Loan apologizes for swearing
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 didn’t say 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 at this point 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.
Tempers flared Wednesday over Bill C-45, the government’s second budget implementation 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 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 asked the motion to be moved by another minister on behalf of Flaherty.
Speaker Scheer ultimately ruled in favour of the government Wednesday, saying another minister could move the motion.