Elbowgate
Elbowgate was an incident in which Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was accused of having "manhandled" two opposition members of parliament—one Conservative and one NDP—in the House of Commons on May 18, 2016. It took place as opposition MPs sought to delay a closure motion on the final reading of Bill C-14, a bill to amend the Criminal Code to allow physician-assisted death.[1][2]
As the Conservative Party's chief opposition whip Gord Brown was moving down the opposition side of the aisle toward his seat, three NDP members of parliament—Ruth Ellen Brosseau, David Christopherson, and NDP leader Tom Mulcair—attempted to block his path in an effort to delay the vote. Custom has it that, before a vote begins, the government and official-opposition whips walk into the House together after the bell has rung, walk up the aisle on their own sides, then sit down after bowing toward the Speaker and each other.[3]
The government whip, Liberal MP Andrew Leslie, and Government House Leader, Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc, had walked down his side of the aisle, but Brown was unable to move past the three NDP MPs.[3] Watching the situation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau crossed the floor of the House, took hold of Brown's arm to steer him through the group, and reportedly shouted to the other MPs "Get the fuck out of my way."[4] In the process Trudeau accidentally elbowed Brosseau in the chest. Brosseau grimaced and clutched her chest, then left the chamber after speaking to Mulcair. She later told the House she had felt overwhelmed and had gone to sit in the lobby, missing the vote as a result. The incident prompted a shouting match on the opposition side of the aisle between Trudeau and Mulcair, in which Mulcair called the Prime Minister "pathetic."[4]
The following day, MPs spent five hours discussing the altercation. Trudeau apologized to the House several times for his actions.[4][5] Brosseau said the public later accused her, in telephone calls to her office, of "crying wolf." The all-party Committee on Procedure and House Affairs will hold a hearing to decide whether Trudeau should be sanctioned.[6]
Responses and criticism
The elbowgate incident provoked multiple responses from variances Honourable Members of Parliament immediately.
- MP Peter Van Loan suggested following the proceedings of a "Physical Molestation" matter.[7]
- MP Pierre Nantel was quoted as seeing the incident with "such determination that it was clear he was furious and determined to make it physical."[7]
- MP Niki Ashton believed that the matter should be considered assault.[7] MP Ashton also associated this as an intentional gender-based action after being quoted to saying "What I will say, if we apply a gendered lens, it is very important that young women in this space feel safe to come here and work here...He made us feel unsafe and we're deeply troubled by the conduct of the prime minister of this country."[8]
- MP Lisa Raitt made an indirect reference to Jian Ghomeshi, who was on trial for sexual harassment.[9]
- MP Peter Kent suggested that Trudeau's actions were in contempt of Parliament.[10]
- MP Peter Julian compared the incident to the violent outbreaks in other countries.[8]
- MP Michael Cooper said he considered the actions criminal assault.[11][better source needed]
- Interim Conservative Party of Canada Leader, Rona Ambrose, tweeted that Trudeau's actions "are worthy of the strongest condemnation of this House."[12]
Political commentators and satirists also commented on the incident:
- Comedian John Oliver, in a Last Week Tonight segment, commented that Trudeau should not have done what he did, but also compared the contact to that one might expect shopping at a New York Trader Joe's. Acknowledging Trudeau's multiple apologies immediately following the incident, he joked that Trudeau would be expected to "spend the remainder of his term... apologizing for the existence of his arm".[13]
- Political commentator Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks said that Trudeau had "bumped into" Brosseau. He was also critical of Brosseau for claiming she was so overwhelmed she needed to leave the chamber and miss the vote.[14]
See also
References
- ↑ Tasker, John Paul (May 18, 2016). "Justin Trudeau's elbowing incident leaves House in an uproar", CBC News.
- ↑ Campbell, Meagan, et al. (May 21, 2016). "An oral history of Elbowgate", Macleans.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wherry, Aaron (May 19, 2016). "Justin Trudeau's elbow punctuates his least sunny day", CBC News.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 MacCharles, Tonda (May 19, 2016). "Justin Trudeau ‘manhandled’ MP in Commons uproar, opposition says", Toronto Star.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Kirkup, Kristy (May 20, 2016). "NDP MP Brosseau fields negative comments over Commons elbow incident", The Canadian Press.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links
- "Justin Trudeau accused of 'manhandling' and elbowing in House of Commons", The National, CBC News, May 18, 2016.
{{#related:Pierre Trudeau}} {{#related:Jean Chrétien}} {{#related:Shawinigan Handshake}}
