'Now that's a farce!': Some other times P.E.I. MLAs used 'farce' in debate

The fall sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature came to a dramatic close on Wednesday night as Green Party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker was removed from the house for refusing to withdraw his use of the word "farce."

This was the first time a member was removed from the legislature since 2011 and the first time for using the word "farce."

The word itself appears in the Hansard record of all P.E.I. sittings about 30 times, with just over half of those used in debate. (The other times, members referred to events held on the Island and twice they referred to the comedy show Air Farce.)

Bevan-Baker again

Interestingly, Bevan-Baker himself used the word earlier this fall sitting on Nov. 30, when referring to the government not acting on the 2016 electoral reform plebiscite.

"This betrayal is especially destructive because for the first time we invited younger Islanders, aged 16 and 17, to participate. We tried to engage them in the democratic process; we promised them that their voices would be heard; but in the end we turned their first opportunity to exercise their right to vote into a farce and reinforced any beliefs that they already had on the futility of trying to implement grassroots change."

Liberal used word 8 times

The most prolific user of the word "farce," and the only user of the word "farcical" before Bevan-Baker, was Liberal MLA Nancy Guptill, who said it eight times. Here are some of her highlights.

From May 9, 1997:

Mr. Speaker, they had better calm down. They are so ashamed they are over there hoaring so they can't listen to this speaker who has (INDISTINCT) they are so sensitive, it's pathetic! But Mr. Speaker, health care, health care they said was a priority. You know, all it would take to meet the needs of Islanders they said during the election campaign - I heard them say it over and over. - would be a little maneuvering in the Budget and reorganizing priorities. What a farce, Mr Speaker - a complete farce!

From Dec. 4, 1997:

Minister, that was a long speech with no substance again and I'm gonna ask you . . . . Not, I'm not gonna ask you; I'm gonna tell you that you have made a complete farce out of these Standing Committee meetings.

From May 8, 1998:

Kevin MacAdam (PC): We're the only province in this country that owns, maintains, and regulates waste management. And what we're saying is, what we're looking at our priorities and we're saying that, in delivering on our priorities of health care and education, given the discussions that have taken place around this issue, that we'll not only deliver on them, but we also recognize that we can have the private sector, who we have great faith in, through an RFP, which has not been delivered to anyone, will be brought forward, everyone will have an opportunity to bid on that. And when they do bid on that, then we will deliver the best service.(APPLAUSE)

Nancy Guptill (L): Now that's a farce!

From Dec. 9, 1998:

Now you're ignoring the whole thing, pretending you don't hear, because you prefer it, because you've got your mind made up to be politically skewed in this whole thing, no matter what. You like to be in that pot of patronage. It's the only place you'll feel comfortable. You're going to make sure you're going to enshrine it. You're not going to be fair to the public. You have no use for the feelings of other Islanders. Let's face it. Let's face it, you're a onesided person. There's no fairness here. It's the most mean-spirited abuse of.. abuse of this Legislative Assembly. It's farcical and to think that this is happening in a Chamber here where we should be putting in good law, good law, fair law; but it's dishonest and underhanded. And, Madam Minister, you are the one, not that you'd hang your head in shame, bury your head in shame. Bury your head in shame.

Some other recent uses of the word farce come from Progressive Conservative MLAs.

PCs use recently

On Apr. 20, 2011, PC MLA Jim Bagnall complained about the government limiting debate on financial estimates when Paula Biggar chaired a committee of the whole house.

"She didn't want us to speak to them and she didn't want to have any discussion. She wanted to go to the motion. She was told by the minister, and it's turning around, Madam Speaker, and making a farce of this place, because we're supposed to be able to debate these things - "

On Apr. 12, 2012, Hal Perry, who was then a PC MLA before crossing the floor, called the government's financial management a farce.

"This government operates how it wants to. This government doesn't see the need to operate within silly things like the budgets. Because if they did they would actually be financially accountable. Currently, they are not. There is no point of announcing a budget if you are just going to simply kick it under the rug and not follow it. For a household it would be considered a waste of time and for a government it is nothing short of a fiscal farce. Honestly, how can anyone take this government seriously when they can't even follow the guidelines they set for themselves?"

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