Liberal MP says his House of Commons penalty should have been the same as Poilievre’s

OTTAWA — Liberal MP Yvan Baker criticized House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus on Wednesday after he doled out two different punishments for similar infractions.

Baker was speaking out on the day that both he and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre were able to speak in the House again, after being penalized by Fergus for refusing to withdraw an objectionable comment. Baker’s penalty had been in place for six months, Poilievre’s for just one day.

“The punishment should have been at least as equal, if not more severe, given what he did was far more severe,” Baker said before the Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday.

Fergus sanctioned Baker in March after the Toronto MP alleged that people supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin had “taken over the Conservative party.”

Poilievre was sanctioned on Tuesday for accusing Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly of pandering to supporters of the terrorist organization Hamas.

Poilievre made that comment during question period on Monday, the one year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, after he asked the Liberals to condemn “genocidal chants from hateful mobs on our streets.”

Joly responded by naming the seven Canadians killed in the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and saying the government stands with the Jewish people. Poilievre insisted that was not equivalent to condemning antisemitism.

All MPs unanimously backed a Conservative motion Monday condemning antisemitism and the Oct. 7 attack.

Both Baker and Poilievre were asked to withdraw their comments, and neither did.

Poilievre did not appear in the House for question period Tuesday after Fergus ruled that he wouldn’t be recognized to speak. The Conservatives were still permitted to ask questions, with the first several posed by deputy leader Melissa Lantsman.

The Conservatives criticized Fergus, accusing him of trampling on democracy and silencing the Opposition.

Fergus moved to end Baker’s punishment after Poilievre’s infraction, noting the two situations were extremely similar and pointing out the Conservatives loudly objected to Baker’s comments and demanded action against him.

Fergus has been struggling to maintain order in an increasingly volatile atmosphere in the House of Commons, and that continued during question period Wednesday when Fergus attempted multiple times to tone down the volume of the House.

“Mr. Speaker, it has only been nine minutes since question period began and slogans are up — slogans are up again,” said Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne in response to a question from Conservative MP Kyle Seeback.

“Canadians are sick and tired of Conservatives repeating the same false things and repeating the same slogans.”

The Conservatives continued to accuse the Liberals of “corruption” as Parliament spent a ninth day debating a Conservative motion related to a demand for the government to provide unredacted documents about misspending at a now-defunct green technology fund.

“The prime minister has paralyzed Parliament by refusing the Speaker’s ruling directing his government to turn over evidence in the $400-million green slush fund scandal,” Poilievre charged during question period, prompting Liberal House leader Karina Gould to accuse him of “not being truthful with Canadians.”

Fergus ruled on Sept. 26 that there was a case for privilege but that the matter is complicated because the motion calls for the documents to be handed over to the RCMP.

He also said the matter should all be referred to a parliamentary committee for further discussion.

The privilege debate takes precedence over other House business and the government has not been able to move forward on its own agenda since this began. Gould has accused the Conservatives of filibustering their own motion.

The Conservatives say the debate will end once the Liberals agree to hand the documents over to Parliament and the police, though the RCMP have said it is unlikely they’d be able to use the documents in its investigation.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said she wouldn’t be surprised if the debate continued next week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2024.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press