Thread by @withfilesfrom

QP kicks off with Bergen calling for plan to lift restrictions instead of going slow “because of the prime minister’s ego, pride and denial.”

Some backbench start cheering “we want Joël” (Lightbound)

PM talks about people making sacrifices to protect each other.

Both accuse each other of not following science (which is not novel).

O’Toole and Lightbound are not seated in the Commons

Jugular yet still jovial exchange between Berthold and Trudeau ends with laugh of incredulity on both sides and Deltell slamming both his hands on top of his desk

Lightbound remains in seat 115, next to Liz May in fourth row, which had not changed since the sitting resumed last week, and possibly last year. The seating plan was updated today.

Tories have very loud uproar when PM Trudeau leaves. (House rules forbid pointing out someone's absence in chamber, so this is a tactic to register a party's displeasure). Speaker gets things back on track.

The Tories keep saying Lightbound was a "senior Liberal" which is not how I would describe the MP

Bergen quite heated in a heckle, right hand pulling down mask, jabbing with left, "the prime minister was vaccinated three times and he got/caught COVID… he could've given it you" she said to area where LeBlanc/Holland/Gerretsen/Lamoureux sit.

Gerretsen replied "he didn't die"

Speaker is losing control of the heckling, gives 15 seconds for things to peter out as some on Tory benches decry the "mask police."

(The Speaker has had to remind MPs to keep mask on when not speaking to House, on both sides of aisle.)

Speaker had to intervene again when someone in Tory side heckled a minister was "misleading Canadians" which you cannot say even when you have the floor.

Programming note: I am tweeting curiosities through the week, which catching some of Commons vibe during QP for a feature I'm working on. But @journo_dale is the dean of QP-watching, and you should watch/read the actual proceedings if you want to know what's being discussed.

So don't come for me, tweeps 😙

Topic of inflation seems to be treated a bit differently than others among Tory bench — there is near silence when Q is asked and then heckling as Freeland responds. I do not know if this is a clip-generating exercise for social, but the silence has not applied to other topics

The Zoom is very choppy today, prompting jeers from some of the opposition parties.

Bloc now noting the interpretation isn't working because the Zoom lag which Speaker is noting appears to be an Internet issue.

Also some of the zooming ministers have headset microphones placed in the middle of nowhere, away from mouth so hard to hear. Not first time I've seen this. I don't know if that's a comms choice for the image. But HoC instruction is near mouth (but not directly breathing on it)

Kenora MP Melillo asks about Experimental Lakes Area budget allocation and asks neutrally whether this budget promise will be fulfilled. Guilbeault offers a partisan take on Harper policies and says in general they support science.

Alberta MP Shannon Stubbs has first Question Period question in months (as per Open Parliament algorithm). She had been sparse this fall particularly after a leak that some suspected stemmed from her disagreements with O'Toole.