Culture, planes and poverty talks: how federal politics touched us this week
OTTAWA — Parliament Hill was itchy and irritated this week as the high-stakes NAFTA talks stagnated and latent battles over abortion bubbled up from committee rooms.
Large delegations of Mexican and U.S. negotiators were on edge for days, with no central place to stay or congregate as Ottawa hosted the third round of condensed talks to revamp NAFTA by the end of the year. Despite the yellow school buses brought in to carry them around and the sporadic, all-important cocktail parties that sprouted on Ottawa patios, there was little progress — and plenty of crankiness.
Ill humour was pervasive in the corridors of the House of Commons too, as Conservatives put forward a pro-life MP to chair the status of women committee — prompting the Liberals to walk out, and then launch a fundraising campaign on Conservatives’ attitude towards women. The Tories fought back with acidity, calling up long-standing arguments for freedom of speech.
Annoyed was the mood of the week, casting a grumpy pall over major developments tied to Canadian culture, Bombardier and its thousands of employees, and quiet talks to alleviate poverty.