SLOBODIAN: A tale of evictions in two parliaments

Fisticuffs and a big brouhaha broke out in Tbilisi’s Georgian parliament between the ruling Dream party and opposition MPs Wednesday. Punches flew. MPs tackled MPs. Someone heaved a book at someone. It is where Georgian opposition member Aleko Elisashvili charged the podium on April 15 and punched Mamuka Mdinaradze, parliamentary Dream party leader in the head. “Your Russian mother is a mother****r,” Elisashvili, leader of the Civilians party, hollered before being hauled out by security.So much for parliamentary decorum.Meanwhile in Canada …Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was evicted from the House Tuesday. Did fists fly? Nope. Books or other projectiles? Just words. Well, one “unacceptable” word.Poilievre called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “whacko.” Speaker of the House Greg Fergus said Poilievre’s remark was unacceptable and repeatedly insisted Poilievre retract the term that has been used in the House before without consequences.Poilievre said he’d replace it with “radical,” then finally withdrew “whacko” and replaced it with “extremist.”Not good enough. Fergus had to teach him a lesson for usurping his Speaker authority (and being a meanie to Justin?)“Pursuant to the authority granted to me by Standing Order 11, I order you to withdraw from the house and any participation by videoconference for the remainder of today’s sitting,” said Fergus. Of course, Trudeau, not being thin-skinned at all, leapt to his feet and said, ‘No, no. I’m a big boy. I can handle it. Let the opposition leader stay. Thanks, Fergus, but I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.”Hardly.Poilievre was banished, the Conservative caucus filed out in solidarity after a little back and forth yelling from both sides of the benches.Whacko. Ouch. That’s harsh.Trudeau would never resort to calling anyone names in Parliament. (Well, other than the many times he himself has called Poilievre an 'extremist.')However, he did call unvaccinated Canadians “racists, misogynists, and extremists” just “taking up space” and “not to be tolerated?” Trudeau also accused truckers of “hate, abuse and racism.”What must one conclude, but that slandering good Canadians who disagreed with Trudeau’s draconian COVID-19 mandates with assorted awful names isn’t as serious as preserving the decorum in the House — and the prime minister’s fragile ego.But how much can a guy take? Not much, it seems. On April 22 Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen, deputy government House leader sought a speaker’s ban on calling Trudeau and his government “corrupt.”But if the word whacko triggers such a Liberal response, imagine what awaits with the surveillance-driven Online Harms Act that has been compared to the War Measures (Emergencies) Act with potentially over the top censorship.Which brings us to the reason for the brouhahas in the Georgian parliament while masses protested the law outside.In Georgia the controversial foreign agents bill was being debated and a second reading voted on. Elisashvili charged the podium the day of the first reading.The law would force NGOs, campaign groups, and media outlets that receive above 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents, or as some call it, spies.Supporters call it necessary to prevent unwanted influence over Georgian politics. Opponents call it a Russian-like tool, modelled after President Vladimir Putin’s foreign agents law that crushes dissent, its only purpose to thwart freedom of speech.Sound familiar? Although censorship has been debated in Canada’s House of Commons, the reason for Poilievre’s eviction wasn’t about that. What it was about got conveniently lost in the timely ultra-sensitive overreaction to a word.Poilievre said that the Canadian government allowing drugs to be decriminalized in British Columbia is “a whacko policy by this whacko prime minister.” Premier David Eby’s BC government requested the Canadian government recriminalize disastrous, deadly public drug use on Friday. Poilievre, sans repentance, later followed up by again declaring that allowing drug decriminalisation is whacko and is destroying people’s lives."Six people dying from overdoses every day in BC is whacko," he said. "Kids playing next to used syringes is whacko."Poilievre said Fergus was protecting Trudeau from hard questions about the past decision to decriminalize hard drugs. The Conservatives, joined by a few Bloc MPs, called for Fergus to resign.Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner posted that Trudeau was dodging legitimate questions about the BC decriminalization policy and that the Speaker overreacted.Of course, the Liberals dutifully lined up to take shots not even worth repeating about Poilievre.Families of loved ones who have died from drug overdoses, or live wretched lives of addiction, or have been victimized by the rampant crime swirling around decriminalization, likely wouldn’t be offended by Poilievre calling the prime minister — who didn’t hesitate to level name calling at Canadians — whacko.Two things to wait for in two separate parliaments with one thing in common — the arrogant ruling parties don’t listen to the people.The ruckus in the Georgian parliament when the third and final reading of the foreign agents bill is held. Grab the popcorn.And the next word that triggers Trudeau, propped up by Fergus and the Liberal gang, so they can avoid accountability and answering tough questions that Poilievre and his gang will keep asking.

SLOBODIAN: A tale of evictions in two parliaments

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