B.C. premier apologizes for swearing during heated question period debate
Members of the B.C. legislature were chastised Monday following a rowdy question period that ended with Premier John Horgan swearing in frustration.
The NDP and opposition Liberals were in the midst of a heated debate on the province's shortage of family doctors when an exasperated Horgan lost his composure.
"Do you want a headline, or do you want action?" the premier said after being interrupted by shouts from across the aisle. "Ah, f***."
The increasingly intense exchange over the shortage – which has been labelled a "crisis" within the health-care system – prompted Speaker Raj Chouhan to cut the debate short and call a brief recess.
"I'm so disappointed in all of you," Chouhan said after MLAs returned. "During the question period, I have repeatedly said please listen to the question and listen to the answers. Once that's over, don't make it personal. Let's behave like adults, please."
Liberal opposition leader Shirley Bond and Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford had been hammering the NDP on the lack of family doctors, pointing to recent data suggesting wait times at the province's walk-in clinics are longer than anywhere else in the country.
"A million British Columbians are without a family doctor, and that is not acceptable," said Halford, the critic for mental health and addictions.
"When will this premier step up in this house and give British Columbians the reassurance they need that they will be supported by a family doctor?"
Horgan is among the Canadian premiers who have been pushing the federal government to provide billions of dollars in additional funding to address issues in the health-care system, and was responding to Halford with a reference to the country's system of "co-operative federalism" when he was shouted down.
"Do you want to hear it, man? Do you want to hear it, or do you just want to hear your voice? Why don't you go to the bathroom and talk to yourself in there because you don’t want to hear answers in this place," the premier said.
Liberal MLA Peter Milobar told CTV News he heard Horgan curse, and that the seriousness of the topic under debate called for a more substantive response.
“It's very telling to me that the premier needed to act that way instead of coming up with some tangible defence,” Milobar said.
Hours after question period, Horgan addressed the incident on social media, saying if his mother were still alive, "she'd be on her way to the legislature with a bar of Irish Spring (soap)."
He also offered an apology to the legislature later on Monday, which marked the first time in more than two years that reporters and politicians met face-to-face in the chamber as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"At the end of question period, my passion for health-care got the better of me and I made some intemperate comments," he said. "I may well have offended members of this house or others. I apologize for that and I withdraw those remarks unreservedly."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
BREAKING Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.