The Prime Minister of British Columbia John Horgan apologized for swearing in Parliament on Monday, at the end of a period of heated issues focused on health care.
Horgan answered a question from Trevor Halford, MLA for Surrey-White Rock, about the province family doctor crisiswhich left nearly a million British Colombians without their own doctor.
Horgan, who had previously been accused by Halford of blaming the federal government for the province’s health problems, then stood up to defend himself and said he had never tried to blame federal agencies.
But after being taunted several times, Horgan started screaming directly on the bench.
WATCH Horgan says ‘f-k’ on the floor of the BC legislature:
The Prime Minister of British Columbia John Horgan swears in Parliament
At the end of a chaotic period of questions focused on health, Horgan is heard dropping the f-bomb. 1:32
“Do you want to hear it?” Do you want to hear it, or do you just want to hear your voice? Why don’t you go to the bathroom and talk to yourself there? ”Horgan asks.
“You don’t want to hear answers in this place. Seriously … Do you really care, or do you want to hear yourself? Do you want a title, or do you want an action? Oh, hell.”
The question period ended shortly after, with President Raj Chuhan urging members to refrain from turning debates into personal ones and saying, “Let’s act like adults, please.”
Horgan initially posted a statement on his Twitter account, saying: “If my mother was still around, she would be on her way to the legislature with an Irish Spring bloc. [soap]”
If my mother was still around, she would be on her way to the legislature with an Irish Spring block. pic.twitter.com/T27OxScmH8
– @jjhorgan
But the prime minister later returned to the legislature to make a full apology.
“Earlier today at the end of the question period, my passion for healthcare overcame me and I made some unrestrained comments that may have offended members of this house or others,” Horgan said.
I apologize for this and withdraw these remarks unreservedly.
The government is considered vulnerable
Gerald Bayer, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia, said the crisis with family doctors was one of the problems the BC NDP government was struggling with at the moment, so Horgan probably couldn’t wait to push back opposition parties.
“It wasn’t just unexpected,” Bayer told CBC News. “It was a step back and forth to family doctors and a few issues on which liberals hope to show that the NDP is vulnerable.
Bayer said Horgan’s swearing goes back to the days of a a more “combative” image for the BC prime minister, who was once burdened with the nickname “Hulk Horgan.”
“This is one of the perceptions he had to overcome before the 2017 elections,” Bayer said. “He managed to keep a lot of that kind of fighting spirit a little more restrained. But, you know, that’s one of those times when he couldn’t do it.”
Halford, whose question ultimately provoked Horgan’s curses, said the prime minister’s forgery was the result of “disappointment” that he had no answer for British Columbia’s liberals regarding the province. problem with a family doctor.
“It’s a fact that we actually have children in [legislature] gallery today, “Halford told CBC News.
Trevor Halford, BC Liberal MLA for Surrey-White Rock and a critic of mental health and addictions, said Horgan had no answer for the opposition about the shortage of family doctors in the province. (Trevor Halford / Twitter)
“I think these children deserve much better than seeing the provincial prime minister use obscene language when we talk about the fact that a million British Colombians are without a doctor.
Halford questioned Horgan’s commitment to resolving the crisis, saying the prime minister was focused on political attacks instead of solutions.
“I hear people say this is a desperate problem and the prime minister has no answer.
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