Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre almost got himself kicked out of the House of Commons for going back and forth with the Speaker of the House.
On Tuesday, Speaker Anthony Rota did not want to get into a debate regarding the Chinese intimidation of a Member of Parliament.
However, the Conservatives wanted to tackle the emergency debate on how MP Michael Chong of Wellington-Halton Hills and his family were allegedly targets of intimidation and threats from a Chinese diplomat, and that the Liberal government was allegedly aware of this for two years.
“The government knew and did nothing for two years after a foreign dictatorship targeted an MP’s family,” Poilievre tweeted on Wednesday.
Conservative MP, and former party leader, Andrew Scheer initially requested the debate stating it was a pressing issue.
“Beijing has sought and continues to seek to influence and intimidate Canadian citizens,” Scheer said.
“Beijing’s intimidation tactics are not limited to Members of Parliament but are being deployed against many Canadians of Chinese descent in communities across the country,” he continued.
When the debate was rejected, Poilievre and other members were visibly unhappy and decided to challenge the decision.
“Does the Leader of the Opposition have something to say to the chair?” Rota asked.
“Actually, he does have something to say. You asked me if I had something to say; I do have something to say. I think it is outrageous,” Poilievre responded.
“If he continues, he will be ejected from the House,” Rota said. “I am cutting you off; please sit.”
People online had mixed reactions following the exchange. Some said Poilievre has a history of being “disrespectful” in the House, while others believe he did not deserve to be censored and have his mic cut off.
