MLA yelled 'Take your pants off' in legislature, PCs say, but NDP denies accusation

Culture, Heritage and Sport Minister Rochelle Squires accuses NDP MLA Rob Altemeyer of yelling "Take your pants off" during question period earlier this month, but he denies that's what he shouted.

Squires told the legislature this morning that Altemeyer shouted the phrase on Oct. 6, and the Progressive Conservatives had received a recording of the incident earlier Thursday.

Altemeyer rose in question period on Thursday afternoon and denied the accusation, stating he had actually said, "Take a pass on it."

"My words were, quote, 'Take a pass on it,'" Altemeyer said. "My words were referring to the premier and his inability to answer an important question from last week."

Altemeyer also tabled an audio recording from the day.

"It clearly indicates what I said and what I did not say," he said.

Draw your own conclusion, NDP house leader says

Squires said Thursday morning that her rights as a parliamentarian had been breached and demanded an apology.

She called the alleged outburst "outrageous, offensive and not befitting of this place."

After question period, NDP House leader Jim Maloway told reporters he thought the recording showed Squires was incorrect, and said he wanted an apology from her, instead of the other way around. 

"The tape has been given to you so you can draw your own conclusions as to what the member said or did not say," he said.

"It's pretty clear that he didn't say what was suggested and attributed to him, and I would hope that the government member would apologize and retract as soon as possible."

Squires and government House leader Andrew Micklefield told reporters after question period they wouldn't speak more on the issue, in light of Speaker Myrna Driedger's request that MLAs keep mum on the matter until she returns with a ruling.

CBC News requested and received a copy of the tape from Driedger.

Bad behaviour

The accusation comes on the heels of an incident last week, when Progressive Conservative MLA Sarah Guillemard said three NDP members — including Altemeyer — singled out female PC MLAs and yelled "shame."

The NDP has since apologized for that incident.

Driedger also reprimanded members for tweeting about the incident before her ruling, and asked the entire chamber to refrain from speaking on the subject until her ruling was made.

Maloway said he thinks overall discourse in the House has "taken a couple of steps back" in the past few days, regressing after a respectful session in the spring.

He credited the improvement to new rules governing House behaviour brought in last year, which limited points of order and privilege in the chamber.

"We're going to watch this more closely from our side and we would ask the government to do the same on their side," he said.