Taber vs Baird

Taber vs Baird, not the title fight of today's Question Period, but sort of an inverted diamond-in-the-rough of what turned out to be the Obama edition of CTV's QP.

The tenacious and fiscally-responsible? Minister of Transport, Mr. John Baird said on QP earlier today, we're spending "...literally billions and billions of dollars in each province and we're going to be doubling that." Billions in EACH province? Minimum $6 billion in Quebec (more or less?) plus at least $1 billion in each other province is $15 billion (this could easily be a lot higher, but I'm just going off Baird's words). Baird promises twice as much spending, so let's double down on that 15! Now his one department is spending another $15 billion (minimum) plus augmented spending in close ridings, I'm sure. I wonder how did Harper ever get away with pretending he would never run a deficit?

John Baird's mandate comes directly from the Prime Minister, which, as he said, is to make things happen. Which must be a variety of things, taking from how many times he used the word "variety" to describe what they are actually doing. Spending on a variety of things here and a various things there. He also wants support for the Tory agenda - yet Mr. Harper is taking a conciliatory approach for the next parliament. Maybe, Mr. Baird is no longer reading the Tory interoffice memos.

Mr. Baird, who usually never lets other people control the topic of conversation, appeared extremely nervous and was rushing through his answers. He seemed to be scared that Jane might ask him an "out of the park home-run" question, but, in her usual Jane-trademarked scripted line of questioning, she tries to stick him with some tough ones, but her rebuttals and follow-ups are weak and Lunesta-inspired.

Baird wins by split decision.