Paul Calandra, the Conservative MP who is also the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, gave a tearful apology today in the House of Commons for the way he failed to answer questions put to him during Question Period earlier this week from Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair.
I accept @PaulCalandra’s apology. I hope he and his CPC colleagues will support our #NDP motion on Question Period next week. #QP #cdnpoli
— Thomas Mulcair (@ThomasMulcair) September 26, 2014
Here’s the video of the original exchange between Mulcair and Calandra from Tuesday, Sept. 23. It was this exchange that Calandra apologize for on Friday:
I applaud Calandra for his apology but I also think it raises more questions. Watch the video from Tuesday and you will see Conservative MPs around him applauding the answer that, three days later, Calandra apologizes for. And the Conservative MPs also applaud his apology. So to those Conservative MPs who applauded his answer Tuesday to Mulcair and also applauded his apology on Friday, which is it?
Am I wrong to think our country is in big trouble when people that work this close to the PMO experience either compromises of conscience (Nigel Wright) or emotional confusion (Calandra Paul)? Wait until the Duffy case hits the court and news.
so…answer the question….or do you have to be coached and scolded before you are able to?
Your kind of badgering, exemplified by your arrogant demand for an answer which I assume is directed at Mr. Akin, is similar to Tom Mulcair’s and other NDPers’ usual line of questioning. That kind of badgering may have prompted Paul Calandra’s angry retorts concerning the NDP fundraiser’s position on Israel.
While I urge Mr. Calandra and other Conservative MPs to answer questions with ABC — accuracy, brevity, courtesy — I think far too much attention has been focused on Mr. Calandra’s misdemeanor and not enough on Mr. Mulcair’s questioning of the Speaker’s integrity and impartiality. That is a far more serious breach of parliamentary discourse, IMO.
The conservative MP should have just answered the question.
What a LOSER! Typical of the CPC – proroguing Parliament, obfuscating the process of government, listening in on our cellphone chats. For all you “Tories” who voted in these redneck autocrats, how do you feel now? Makes me think of Danny Williams a few years back… ABC (Anyone But Conservatives)!
How refreshing it was to hear a member of the government sincerely express an apology and contrition over errant remarks. Mr. Calandra is obviously human, but also appears to have a streak of decency running through him. Bravo !!
Now if we could just get the government moving on defense procurement!! One would think that it is the CPC that we can most depend on. However, it doesn’t seem to be working out this way. There are three things I’m not seeing:
– defense hardware plans translated into acquisitions,
– replacement costs for aging / missing defense hardware going down,
– Russia / Putin getting friendlier.
Maintaining Canadian freedom and sovereignty don’t come for free! When push comes to shove, we may have little more than a “paper tiger” with which to defend ourselves.
Ask yourself this “How safe do I feel?”
the ndp stand for nothing and are against everything not brought forward by them,
god help us if they were to form the government but I am sure they will not, they will wilt like the liberals last election
Paul Calandra is a complete idiot, acting like he better than anyone in the house commons, did the whip slap his behind.
they act just like kids, what a shame we have tovote for hose ediots.
My question is, what was Martin Sheen doing there? (second video, from Sept. 23 – look to Calandra’s right……).
I didnt see Martin Sheen, but that is definitley Richard Geer.