‘Stand with Swastikas’: Emergencies Act debate turns ugly as opposition grows – By Catherine Lévesque (National Post) / February 16, 2022
Conservative MP calls for an apology from Prime Minister Trudeau over heated exchange on the need for Emergencies Act
As opposition parties dug into their formal opposition to the Liberal government’s Emergencies Act, debates took an ugly turn in question period as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indirectly linked a Jewish MP to Nazi supporters.
Comments directed to Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman were made during a heated exchange in which she compared his “positive, optimistic, hopeful vision of public life” in 2015 with recent negative comments made toward truck convoy supporters.
“Conservative Party members can stand with people who wave swastikas; they can stand with people who wave the Confederate flag. We will choose to stand with Canadians who deserve to be able to get to their jobs, to be able to get their lives back,” replied Trudeau.
This prompted the Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota, to remind all MPs, including the prime minister, “to use words that are not inflammatory in the House.”