A verbal altercation between Government House Leader Peter Van Loan, his NDP counterpart Nathan Cullen and NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair occurred in the House of Commons Wednesday, briefly disrupting proceedings.
Van Loan was accused of giving the middle finger to Mulcair and Cullen said the House leader used 鈥渦nparliamentary鈥� language.
鈥�(That language) is better in a bar, and not every bar,鈥� Cullen told CTV鈥檚 Power Play.
Van Loan denied making an obscene gesture, but said he did point his index finger at Cullen and 鈥渕ight have used a colourful word.鈥�
Van Loan said Mulcair was the one who 鈥渢otally snapped鈥� at him when he approached Cullen to express his frustration over what he called a 鈥渄elay tactic by the NDP鈥� on a budget bill vote.
Moments before the altercation, House Speaker Andrew Scheer had ruled against Cullen鈥檚 motion to revoke the report stage of the marathon omnibus bill vote Tuesday night.
Cullen argued that the end of the vote should be deemed 鈥渋llegitimate鈥� because Finance Minister Jim Flaherty wasn鈥檛 in his seat at the time.
After the Speaker鈥檚 ruling, Van Loan crossed the floor to speak with Mulcair and Cullen.
Cullen said Van Loan used an expletive and Mulcair responded by telling him: 鈥淒on鈥檛 threaten my House leader.鈥�
Van Loan said he tried to 鈥渄eescalate鈥� the situation, but Mulcair was 鈥渜uite angry.鈥�
鈥淚 was frankly so surprised by Mulcair鈥osing his temper the way he did, snapping that way, that I really don鈥檛 remember too much what was said after that,鈥� he told 麻豆影视.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay was seen pulling Van Loan away from Mulcair鈥檚 bench. NDP MP Yvon Godin was also heard complaining that Van Loan 鈥済ave the finger鈥� as he crossed the floor toward the Opposition.
NDP deputy leader Megan Leslie, who had a front-row view of the scuffle, told Power Play that Van Loan used 鈥渁 lot of expletives.鈥�
鈥淚 think the Conservative House leader did not act appropriately,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e came over pretty aggressively, guns blazing鈥eated words were said and it鈥檚 not cool.鈥�
But Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner said that Mulcair was 鈥渧ery aggressive with his language as well.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 nobody in the right here,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is the House of Commons and there鈥檚 no place for this.鈥�
Both Cullen and Van Loan said they planned to discuss the incident with one another.
