A Liberal MP’s flippant remarks during a committee meeting on foreign interference matters have caught the attention of media and critics alike.
Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell justified her heckling during a committee hearing and subsequent dialogue where she said, “boo hoo, get over it.” The remarks came in response to a Conservative MP raising his concerns about the Liberal MP heckling her Conservative counterpart during his line of questioning when he asked the Liberals to release the names of elected members engaging in foreign interference.
Early Thursday morning, Conservative MP Frank Caputo asked Liberal MP Dominic Leblanc whether he would release the names of elected officials engaging in foreign interference. The report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians was tabled in the House of Commons on Monday and accused many elected officials of collaboration with foreign governments, but the government redacted their names.
During Caputo’s line of questioning at the Committee of Public Safety and National Security, he asked the Liberal MP many different ways whether he would release the names, considering knowing so would benefit the public interest.
Leblanc said he would not, arguing that releasing that information would be “irresponsible” without proper verification and context. While the room was completely silent throughout most of Caputo’s questioning, one unknown person could be heard interrupting in the background.
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis later revealed this disruptive MP to be O’Connell.
“During Mr. Caputo’s round at the end, Mrs. O’Connell was literally shouting at him across the floor,” Genuis said later to the chair while raising a point of order.
“Boo hoo, get over it,” O’Connell said, once more speaking out of turn.
A flurry of outrage on social media ensued after the public learned of O’Connell’s behaviour at the committee.
Mercedes Stephenson, a journalist with Global News, posted to X that O’Connell said, “boo hoo, get over it,” in response to the Conservatives demanding the release of the names.
“Mercedes, this is a mischaracterization. I was responding to frustrated CPC MPs complaining with points of order because their juvenile, theatric attempts to generate dishonest social media clips failed spectacularly. Anyone can watch the interaction to see your claims are false,” responded O’Connell.
Stephenson was not fooled. She told O’Connell that she would happily post the full video.
The report said that while some parliamentarians were unaware they were targets of foreign interference, others “wittingly” assisted foreign state actors.
The Liberals have refused to release the list of names that were redacted from the report.
“Let’s face it, if there were six Conservatives on that list and no other Liberals, we would have had the names,” said Caputo.
“Members of this house have knowingly worked for foreign hostile governments. Canadians have a right to know… Who are they?” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asked.