Prime Minister Stephen Harper responds during Question Period in the House of Commons on Sept. 30, 2010.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
They've been back now for eight Question Periods after vowing to be polite and pledging co-operation. Thursday, MPs were told to put a sock in it.
"Order, order," House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken interjected more than a few times as he tried to restore calm to the chamber.
"I remind honourable members it's Thursday, not Wednesday," the Speaker said, referring to the mid-week antics MPs are known for after their caucus meetings. Typically, that's the day all hell breaks loose. "Calm down a little."
Unfortunately, they didn't.
"Mr. Speaker, we've had two examples in the last week where the House has clearly made decisions - on the long-gun registry and on the census - clearly reflecting a sense of give and take, all parties giving away somewhat to come to a conclusion and to come to a compromise," Liberal MP Bob Rae began.
"I'd like to ask the Prime Minister a very simple question. What is his problem with democracy?"
Stephen Harper usually only answers questions from party leaders. But he took Mr. Rae's questions, refusing to back away from his view that the gun registry should be scrapped.
"What does the Liberal Party have against law-abiding citizens? What does it have against duck hunters, against aboriginal Canadians? Why doesn't it stand up for people of the regions of this country?"
And then there was Carolyn Bennett, another Toronto Liberal MP who gets under the skin of her Tory colleagues. A passionate questioner, Dr. Bennett demanded Industry Minister Tony Clement reverse course: "Will the government accept the will of Parliament and stop rejecting evidence-based policy-making and restore the long form census now?
Mr. Clement refused.
Replied Dr. Bennett: "Leaders who think they make the rules are called dictators. This is a test. Will this Prime Minister accept that Canadians and their Parliament make the rules and restore the long-form census now?"
Mr. Clement refused to reply to what he characterized as a "wild accusation."
"We're seeking to make Parliament work, seeking to raise the decorum in this place," he said. "Other members of the opposition don't have the same agenda. They'll have to answer to their constituents in that regard."
Then, with his colleagues on the government bench continuing to fend off the opposition, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney tweeted his disdain (not to mention his poor spelling of proper names): "Carolyn Bennet #jumpstheshark in Question Period."
It all ended on a high note - at least for the Conservatives. Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty got a friendly question from a backbench Tory.
"When it comes to taxes for the Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition, they only go higher and higher. Under the coalition, businesses would be the enemy and taxpayer wallets the target," Tilly O'Neill-Gordon began. "They reach for more of Canadians hard-earned money to fund their fiscally irresponsible schemes, such as a 45-day work year. … Would the finance minister inform the House of a major step announced today."
A grinning Mr. Flaherty responded, pointing out that his decision to scale back planned increases in EI premiums would be good for jobs and the economy. "As the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said: As a result of this decision, employers will have a greater incentive to keep workers and add to payrolls. Workers will have more take-home pay and will be more inclined to spend."