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Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe has been around long enough to know what he can get away and what he can’t. So he chose his words carefully today in Question Period, shouting “lies, lies, lies” at Immigration Minister Jason Kenney instead of “liar, liar, liar.”

He didn’t like what he was hearing about the imposition of visas on Mexicans. The Tories were incensed. Ontario MP Rick Dykstra stood up on a point of order after Question Period, demanding that he withdraw the remark.

Mr. Duceppe refused after arguing he was on totally solid ground. "Liar" can get you thrown out. But a member can yell the word “lies” forever with impunity.

It all seems so childish. But that was Question Period today, a raucous affair with lots of heckling mixed in with serious questions about the distribution and supply of the H1N1 vaccine.

Piled on top of the Bloc's accusation was the obvious frustration of the Liberals and New Democrats over the government's flu response.

Today, the Auditor-General provided some new fodder.

Picking up on criticisms in Sheila Fraser's report saying the government has failed to develop a national emergency preparedness plan, which includes planning for epidemics and pandemics, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said that was why the roll-out of Canada's vaccination program has been so “slow and confused.”

The Health Minister was not in the Commons, nor was the Prime Minister, so Industry Minister Tony Clement was left to answer.

“Let me dwell in the realm of facts,” he said. “The fact of the matter is that there have been six million doses of H1N1 vaccine that have already been delivered to the provinces and territories.”

And he repeated what was said yesterday - that Canada has more H1N1 vaccine per capita than any other country in the world.

Mr. Ignatieff, however, followed up with the obvious question: “If there is all this vaccine about, why are there eight-hour lines?”

That was never answered.

NDP Leader Jack Layton continued with questions about the Auditor-General’s criticism of emergency preparedness.

But he offered a suggestion: “Under the plan that is available for financing of natural disasters the federal government steps forward with 90 per cent of the cost so that people locally do not have to worry about how they are going to pay for it to get the job done.”

An interesting suggestion - but one that Mr. Clement chose not to address. Instead, he simply repeated the fact that six million doses have been allocated to the provinces and the territories.

The Liberals and NDP also zeroed in on the contract the government entered into with GlaxoSmithKline to produce the H1N1 vaccine.

“Getting 50 million doses from one company is like trying to fill 50 million cups of water from the same tap,” NDP health critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis charged.

There are five different suppliers of the vaccine in the United States.

And then she pointed out that former Harper aide Ken Bossenkool is a lobbyist for GSK.

“Is he the person who has been reassuring the government that GSK would have no problem delivering a speedy supply of the vaccine?”

Mr. Clement did not answer that one directly, either. But outside the House, the Tories are saying that the contract is one that was signed by the Liberals in 2001. It is a 10-year-contract.

Oh, and about the lies/liar situation: House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken said he didn’t hear any of it. He allowed, however, that “lies” is an acceptable word.

He said he will review the videotape and if there is a problem, he’ll get back to them.