Conservative, Bloc MPs call on Speaker to resign after ousting Poilievre over 'wacko' comment

Conservative MPs lined up Wednesday to denounce Speaker Greg Fergus for ejecting their leader Pierre Poilievre from the House of Commons after he refused to walk back calling the prime minister a "wacko."

Those MPs said Fergus was a "disgrace" and a "partisan" who can't control the House of Commons any longer. They called on him to step aside.

The Speaker's office said he'll do no such thing. "Speaker Fergus has no intention of resigning," a spokesperson told CBC News.

Liberal MPs, meanwhile, said Poilievre is the one who behaved badly by thumbing his nose at the Speaker's authority and insulting the prime minister.

"The leader of the opposition needs to stop acting like a child," said Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly. "Canadians expect us to work and deliver for them."

"What Canadians saw was basically the true face of Pierre Poilievre," said Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. "Canadians should be worried — he's willing to disregard this institution."

Housing Minister Sean Fraser said Poilievre lashed out at Trudeau because he didn't like the prime minister's questions to him about supposedly "cozying up with far-right groups."

Poilievre's "wacko" comment was a stunt "designed to raise money" and "demonstrate to certain elements of his electoral base that he's going to stand by them," Fraser said.

Attitudes were notably different outside the Conservative caucus meeting room as the party's MPs and senators assembled on Parliament Hill to discuss Tuesday's events.

"The Speaker should resign — he's a disgrace," said Conservative MP Michael Cooper.

"I never had confidence in the Speaker. He's a Liberal partisan," added MP Scott Aitchison.

In a blog post, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said Trudeau was dodging legitimate questions about the controversial B.C. decriminalization policy — and the possibility of it being expanded to Toronto — and the Speaker overreacted to Poilievre's language.

"Trudeau's decision to deflect as opposed to explain his policy is brutal, but even worse still was Speaker Fergus's decision to expel Mr. Poilievre for using an apt and justified term to describe the situation," she wrote.

"Based on today's question period, it's probably fair to say that Mr. Trudeau's government is f—ed. Bring on the election."