MIRROR, MIRROR — Conservative finance critic JASRAJ SINGH HALLAN faced hard questions Tuesday about how his party’s support for a Bloc motion squares with the negative impact of Bill 21. Quebec’s secularism law has earned notoriety because it bars public servants in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols on the job, which critics have argued disproportionately impacts Muslim women.
Expect questions to pop up during the next federal election. — The motion: Bloc Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET moved a motion Monday designed to remind the federal government that the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause “is solely up to Quebec.” The vote fell along party lines. The Bloc shored support from Conservatives and former Tory MP ALAIN RAYES. The Liberals, NDP, Greens and Independent MP KEVIN VUONG voted against, defeating the motion 142-174. — What wedge? Reporters asked Hallan for clarity, given the Bloc motion supports Quebec’s pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause — a political tool used by Quebec Premier FRANÇOIS LEGAULT’s government to pass Bill 21. “I’ve been clear on my stand on Bill 21,” Hallan told reporters in West Block. In January 2020, the Calgary Forest Lawn MP stood in the House to present a petition urging MPs to denounce the province’s secularism bill. “As an immigrant and ethnic minority, I know Quebec’s Bill 21 has real human impact,” he said at the time. — Jump cut to today: Hallan held the media availability to talk about his opposition motion, calling on the government to “cap spending, cut waste, fire high-priced consultants and eliminate inflationary deficiencies and taxes” to curb the rising cost of living. Questions about Bill 21 generated crosstalk between Hallan and reporters that prompted PIERRE PAUL-HUS, the party’s Quebec lieutenant, to lead his colleague away. MPs will vote on Hallan’s opposition motion today. ANOTHER ONE — Hull–Aylmer MP GREG FERGUS is the latest Liberal to breach federal conflict-of-interest law, according to a new report by Ethics Commissioner MARIO DION. The transgression was a letter Fergus wrote in June 2021 to the CRTC, at the request of Natyf TV Director RONALD FÉLIX, to support the francophone channel’s application for a new broadcasting license. — From Dion’s report: “According to Mr. Fergus, Mr. Félix, as a Black Canadian, approached him in part due to his role as Chair of the Parliamentary Black Caucus, since the application concerned a television station that targets a diverse and inclusive Francophone audience.” The intent of the letter was to influence the CRTC’s decision, Dion wrote in his report, which was improper, contravening section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act. ‘I KNOW YOU HAVE IT’ — On Parliament Hill on Tuesday, U.S. lawmakers joined their Canadian counterparts at a joint conference on protecting the Great Lakes. U.S. Rep. DEBBIE DINGELL, in a virtual appearance, called out Canada for not doing enough to fulfill its C$1 billion pledge on the issue, POLITICO’s Joseph Gedeon reports. “Canada has not appropriated funding similar to the monies that we have done,” said Dingell, who co-chairs the Great Lakes Task Force. “We've got to make sure that if we're going to protect our ecosystem, that both of our countries are working together.”
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