Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Wednesday, October 21, 2009.CHRIS WATTIE
It was an all-female Liberal line-up in Question Period today, with the exception of Michael Ignatieff who for the third straight day led off with attacks on Tory pork and patronage.
The all-female cast - seven questioners - was in honour of the release of Pink Book, the third volume of Liberal policies related to Canadian women.
And after the bluster and outrage, a usually divided House came together to pay tribute to Speaker Peter Milliken, a Liberal MP, who is now the longest-serving Speaker in Canadian history. He was first elected in January of 2001.
But back to the outrage:
"Sixty-six percent of recreational infrastructure projects in this country have been allocated to Conservative ridings," Mr. Ignatieff charged. "If one votes Conservative, they get the rink. A lot of Canadians think that is wrong. When will the Prime Minister begin to understand that it is wrong? Will he put a stop to it?"
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was not in the House. He is attending an event in Toronto that in a mix-up of schedules Mr. Ignatieff had originally said he would attend.
Industry Minister Tony Clement filled in for the Prime Minister, arguing that Mr. Ignatieff had his facts wrong.
"We are being fair to all ridings. We are being fair to Canadians. That is what people would like us to do and that is exactly what we are doing," said Mr. Clement.
The female Liberal MPs, meanwhile, asked about everything from the stimulus spending controversy to who knew what and when about the Afghan detainees, pension security issues and the safety of the H1N1 vaccine for pregnant women.
"The Conservative government's information for pregnant women is now months out of date. When are Canadian women going to get current accurate and reliable information?" asked Toronto Liberal MP Maria Minna.
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said she trusts the advice to pregnant women from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada that "an unadjuvanted vaccine is safe."
Across the aisle, a familiar face looked unimpressed.
Disgraced Liberal MP Denis Coderre was in his regular seat in the Commons after having attended his first caucus meeting today since he resigned his post as Quebec lieutenant and defence critic in a huff almost a month ago.
While his colleagues cheered and gave standing ovations to Mr. Ignatieff and some of the other questioners, a low-key Mr. Coderre remained in his seat, politely clapping.
Surprisingly, he was not moved from his second-row spt as a punishment for his actions. Rather, a Liberal official says that they do not want to make a martyr out of him.
"He set fire to his career and compromised friendships. A different view of Peter Milliken's face isn't going to matter much,' the official said.