Canadian politician gives rival the finger, offers to "go outside" with the entire legislature if they don't like it

Abel LeBlanc, a Liberal member of the New Brunswick legislative assembly, was thrown out of the room yesterday after he gave a rival politician the finger, called her a liar, and then asked the entire parliament to "go outside" (presumably for some sort of fisticuffs).

The quote below gives you a taste of the outburst, but you owe it to yourself to download the audio, which I've edited out of the CBC As it Happens Podcast and uploaded to the Internet Archive for your enjoyment. Remix gold. Ringtone city. Listen to this rage. Just listen to it.

Robichaud complained again, but LeBlanc refused to apologize.
"I'll not apologize in this house for that young lady over there," he said, before accusing Blaney of telling lies about Saint John-Fundy MLA Stuart Jamieson.
Jamieson was asked to step down as tourism minister on Friday for suggesting the controversial deal between NB Power and Hydro-Québec should go to a referendum.
LeBlanc did not elaborate on the alleged lies before extending his middle finger again at another Tory MLA and shaking his fist.
"I'm gonna tell you, Dale [Graham, Tory MLA for Carleton], I'll walk outside with any one of yas here," LeBlanc said. "Don't ever laugh at me. Yes, I gave you that. And I'll give you that again. And I'll give you this if you want to go outside. You're a punk!"

N.B. MLA expelled for rude gesture

MP3 link

Previously:

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Wardish

For someone who doesn’t want to be laughed at, it’s probably not a good idea to become an internet clown.
RevEng

Oh, parliament! How I lament thee.

Honestly, our parliament is kind of silly. The “defamatory comments are non-actionable” part is what really makes it into a circus. Pundits regularly block each others’ proposals, not because they disagree, but because they don’t want the opposition to get anything done. They bicker, lie, and call each other names, quite often. Some days, you might as well be watching Jerry Springer. At least on Jerry Springer the clowns aren’t arguing about the direction of a country’s government.

They call it parliamentary debate, but it looks nothing like a real debate. There are no facts, figures, or numbers. Logical fallacies are the norm; ad hominem attacks are preferred. The final decision comes to a vote, with each member voting along the lines of his party’s position. Ontario and Quebec hold a majority of seats, meaning that issues that affect other provinces are unimportant, and if they run counter to something that is important to Ontario or Quebec, they are immediately blocked.

To make matters worse, we pay these fools a lot of money. They usually don’t attend all of the debates. Right now, they are enjoying a paid vacation to stay home and watch the Olympics — one they voted for themselves, mind you. And even if somebody eventually calls them on their uselessness, they can expect to find another, equally cushy job, being the minister for some branch of government for which they have no knowledge or experience.

I’m sure most democractic countries have a similar system with similar conduct. I don’t think this really excuses Canada’s system, but it seems to be a problem larger than Canada.

Surely there is a better way.
entropyred

Ah, I love my province.

Although the defamatory speech idea is interesting, I really don’t think anybody should doubt Abel LeBlanc’s willingness to get into a fistfight. Dude was in the military for years before politics, iirc.
Anonymous

We need more politicians up here willing to duke it out to get things done.
SamSam

Why can’t our guys dust it up a bit? I’d pay to see our walker bound geezers throw down over policy!

Like Brooks v. Sumner, perhaps?

We already did some of that.
Cowicide

I was called a punk in that same tone and in those exact words many years ago by a coked-up, conservative scumbag who I challenged after learning that the company I worked for (and he run) was ripping people off along with the workers.

I wear it as a badge of honor to this day to be called a punk by a lying, thieving scumbag. I only wish he’d asked me to step outside but he knew I would have gladly beat his ass down.
ThePope

Oh! Canada!
spiderking

John O’Toole flipped someone off in the Ontario legislature years ago. That was a pretty big deal at the time. Decorum, gentlemen!
Anonymous

Hahaa! About time parliament got passionate.
MrJM

“You can have my obscene finger when you pry it from my cold dead hands…”

Oh crap…

I mixed up the First and Second Amendments again, didn’t I.
JustOk

en francais, svp
- Pendrift
  
  Well, Daniel Cohn-Bendit just told Martin Schultz to shut up at the European Parliament. Not nearly as, er, animated.
demidan

Why can’t our guys dust it up a bit? I’d pay to see our walker bound geezers throw down over policy!

John Boehner- “Obama is a Communist Fascist who wants to kill your grand parents!”

Harry Reid- “You punk bitch! Let’s go!”
- coaxial
  
  Sorry Demidan, that doesn’t sound anything like the Reid I know. This sounds much more likely:
  
  John Boehner- “Obama is a Communist Fascist who wants to kill your grand parents!”
  
  Harry Reid- “Oh okay. Do you you want me to do anything.”
  
  John Boehner- “Stand over in the corner and wet yourself like a baby.”
  
  Harry Reid- “Oh okay.”
  
  I have never seen anyone more impotent and worthless than the Senate Democrats. 60 fucking votes, and they couldn’t get a damn thing passed.
  - Cowicide
    
    I have never seen anyone more impotent and worthless than the Senate Democrats.
    
    YA! Shame and blame em’!!! Those worthless American cowards! THEM!!!111!!
    
    I guess that’s easier than looking at yourself and the rest of the weak ass American public in the mirror that FAILED to vote in enough dems to thwart the over 100 filibusters and acts of procedural obstructions performed by the republicans? Oh.. and that number is from less than one year in 2009.
    
    You want someone to blame? Here’s a fuckin’ mirror, son.
    
    Oh, and be sure to give the Republicans a pass that have performed more obstructionism never before seen since the founding of the Republic (not even during the hostility leading up to the American Civil War).
    
    America, the home of Whopper and a bunch of fat people confused about why they are fat. America, the home of corporatism put in place by the American public who is confused about why they aren’t represented.
    
    What a ball of confusion this country has become. I just have to laugh nowadays to keep from crying.
- aho
  
  You mean like they do in Taiwan? I bet it would get my generation into politics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xCn3ZYTU0Y&feature=related
  - demidan
    
    Yes like that, if you have the balls to say the phrase “death panel” you should have the balls to back it up.
Anonymous

Haha,
you might like this video from our French Minsiter of immigration and National identity (forgive my translation).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iELQ-qHNrqs
He can sure use his finger too!
Adam Stanhope

It was in New Brunswick. He was wearing hip-waders.
canuckjacq

Heh. Delighted to be from New Brunswick —

First TJ Burke (same legislature) sang pants on the ground!

And now this! I’m getting more homesick by the minute.

But then, Ireland had its own unparliamentary moment recently too :)
Anonymous

Here’s the video link via National Post

New Brunswick MLA Abel LeBlanc ejected for giving the middle finger in Legislature http://bit.ly/9JGAO9
ztifhael

I am so proud right now. This is my MLA. Hooray for democratic representation.
semiotix

Pff, who hasn’t wanted to throw down on the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly. Buncha poseurs and ankle-biters.

You can’t let it get to you, Abel. Haters gonna hate.
ehkca

Ah, yes. Whoever said parliamentary politics was dull never worked in or for a legislature.
skeptacally

legislativepunk!
Purly

I want to do something like this all the time. Good for him.
PaulR

Mr. Speaker, I live in New Brunswick. I tell ya, Mr. Speaker, if you listen to enough newscasts, Mr. Speaker, about the NB Legislator, Mr. Speaker, you start to think that they get paid $10, Mr. Speaker, for every time they say “Mr. Speaker”, Mr. Speaker.

(I often find that those who say things like “wanna step outside?” are usually flabby, out-of-shape bullies who haven’t studied any martial arts.)

Mr. Speaker
sobreiro

Somebody call RevoLucian! (http://www.revolucian.com/)
PaulR

Mr. Speaker, I should have hit the Preview button, Mr. Speaker, before hitting Submit, Mr. Speaker…

Of courser, Mr. Speaker, it’s the “NB Legislature”, Mr. Speaker.

Oooo! $130! Just in time for the weekend, Mr. Speaker.
Cildar

lv th gsps f trg nd th “Tchr tchr h dd BD THNG” cmplnts frm ll f th nncy-grl lgsltrs n th bckgrnd. Nthng lk Frnch Cndn ccnt t mk n snd lk wss.
- PaulR
  
  That’s not a French-Canadian accent. That’s a Southern NB accent – they would say something like “anyone of youse/yaws. It’s similar to Nova Scotian accent – the exact placement can be determined by whether they “Jesus” three times or “some”. Yes, “Jesus” is a verb.
  
  For example: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, It’s rained some last night!” would place then accent around the eastern half of the Bay of Fundy.
  
  Not to mention, “apologize for” and “apologize to” has the same usage in French, whether you use “demander pardon” or “excuser”.
  
  Mr. Leblanc error in the use of “apologize for” is probably because it’s not a word he uses very often…
  - Charles H.
    
    I’m assuming that the comment on the French accent is referring to the section when Paul Robichaud is talking, and he’s definitely a French-speaking Acadian.
  - Robert
    
    “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, It’s rained some last night!” sounds like Jesus as an expletive — a common grammatical use. If “Jesus” were a verb, it would be more like, “Rain, rain, rain, It’s Jesused some last night!”
    - PaulR
      
      “Jesus” as a verb was in my phrase: “whether they ‘Jesus’ three times”.
      
      For usage in a complete sentence:
      
      “I tells ya, it must’ve rained some last night in Cape Enrage. Buddy jesused five times when he was telling me about it!”
      
      Kinda like Bubbles’s deft use of a “4-6″ or a “6-4″ for different amount of emphasis.
  - Cildar
    
    @PaulR: I stand corrected. Thank you on the subtle treatise regarding Canadian accents. Oh, and thank you for both Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretsky.
brandonjamesscott

Our parliament is a joke most of the time… but if a good brawl was allowed once in a while it would probably improve things.
bjacques

Fist fight! In the parking lot!
Anonymous

As a New Brunswicker, I find this to be incredibly awesome. Usually you only see this in town halls or private conversations with MLAs, but Maritime politicians always tend to have a wee bit more ‘character’ than our upper Canadian counterparts.
adamnvillani

He’s not looking to punch anyone out – at least, I don’t think so

Watch the video.

“Yes, I gave ya that!” (gesturing with middle finger)
“And I’ll give ya that again!” (gesturing with middle finger again)
“And I’ll give you this if you wanna go outside.” (shaking clenched fist)
Hagrid

Gods, I love Canadian politics!
JHHCanada

The “step outside” thing is parliamentary.
In parliament, any defamatory comments are non-actionable. In other words, you can’t be sued for them while you’re inside the House.
But frequently politicians will say they’d be willing to say the exact same thing “outside” – in other words, he’s saying that he believes in the truth of what he’s saying so strongly that he’s willing to make the comments beyond the safety of parliament.
He’s not looking to punch anyone out – at least, I don’t think so :)
- Charles H.
  
  To further JHHCanada’s “step outside” explanation:
  
  Because of the non-actionable nature of statements made in parliament, there are very strict rules about the language you can and cannot use when it is in session. Calling someone a liar is right out but accusing them of telling/speaking lies is not, to use one of the more hair-splitting examples.
  
  Hence why he was asked to apologize and subsequently kicked out of the Legislature when he refused.
  
  (Which is also why there are gasps at it happening. You can be almost certain that nobody there would be unfamiliar/offended by the gesture itself, but rather that it’s a very flagrant and obviously deliberate breach of the accepted decorum.)
  - Gloria
    
    “(Which is also why there are gasps at it happening. You can be almost certain that nobody there would be unfamiliar/offended by the gesture itself, but rather that it’s a very flagrant and obviously deliberate breach of the accepted decorum.)”
    
    Thank you for pointing this out.
    
    As for @17, I don’t know how you thought that was a French-Canadian accent. I know some Maritimers who would give you a beating to hear that.
- semiotix
  
  In parliament, any defamatory comments are non-actionable. In other words, you can’t be sued for them while you’re inside the House.
  
  Fascinating. Reason enough for me to get elected to some legislature where this holds true. There are HUNDREDS of defamatory, slanderous, and otherwise legally actionable things I’ve been dying to say. Plus a lot of those places have cameras and reporters!
  
  I’m already writing my maiden speech: “Mr. Speaker, you philandering drunk, it gives me great pleasure to address this august body, even though at least half of its members are on the take. For you see, Mr. Speaker, it has long been a dream of mine to–OH MY GOD! FIRE! FIRE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!”
- gunnar11
  
  “He’s not looking to punch anyone out – at least, I don’t think so :)”
  
  Actually, if you watch the video, he is showing them his clenched fist as he says “and I’ll give you this if you want to go outside”.
  
  Fight!Fight!Fight!
skeptacally

and now…

with video!

http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/player.html?clipid=1410980999
JohnCJ

The moral gasps of “Oh my gosh, he just gave the finger!” “Oh my gosh, that’s enough” “Yes, I saw it!” are the funniest bit.
- Anonymous
  
  This. The shock and surprise is ridiculous to the point of being more offensive than the original act. They sound like a bunch of teenagers tattling on a classmate. GROW UP, PARLIAMENT.
Anonymous

Hooray! Now THIS is politics! I love it when the Korean legislature breaks into fisticuffs, or some Israeli rep takes a swipe at a rival. Those are guys who mean it! They care about their position!

More politicians should fight. In fact, I wish the American Capitol Building converted the Rotunda into a Thunderdome. THEN we’ll see some action!