Question Period Live

QP Live: Harry Neufeld, how could you?

Join us for your daily dose of political theatre. Tweet about the madness at #QP.

Adrian Wyld/CP

Adrian Wyld/CP

Pierre Poilievre is trying to vanquish the act of vouching during federal elections. The democratic reform minister says too much electoral fraud has come of that particular technique of voter registration. The NDP has cried afoul, asking for evidence. Poilievre cites a report published by Harry Neufeld, a former chief electoral officer in British Columbia commissioned by Elections Canada to study voter compliance with the rules. Poilievre says Neufeld’s conclusions support the proposed Tory reform.

Problem: Neufeld raised his hand and said the government proposal misunderstands his report’s conclusions. The opposition will, predictably, jump all over this juicy turn of events. Poilievre will revert to his initial talking points and, with glee, consign the word Neufeld to the trash heap—never to be uttered again. (Edit: Nope, Poilievre is doubling down. He continues to cite Neufeld’s report, sticking to the same observations but ignoring Neufeld’s public statements.)

Who to watch

Pierre Poilievre’s democratic reform finishes several weeks as the NDP’s prime target. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Transport Minister Lisa Raitt will take heat for clogged railways.

In the news

Canada lost 7,000 jobs in February. The Parti Quebecois is in a position to win the coming Quebec election. Feisty MPs could probably use a break from Ottawa.

Maclean’s is your home for the daily political theatre that is Question Period. If you’ve never watched, check out our primer. Today, QP runs from 11:15 a.m. until just past noon. We livestream and liveblog all the action.

THE STREAM

THE BLOG

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.