Riots broke out in the National Assembly when MP Sol Zanetti blew up a balloon before floating it in the Blue Hall, sparking outrage from the CAQ and the Liberals.
• Also read: [VIDÉO] Sylvain Lévesque incorrectly calls herself “Madam President” in the Salon Bleu.
When the cat is away, the mice play. Due to the absence of President Nathalie Roy, the excitement among parliamentarians was greater than usual on Thursday, complicating the task of Liberal MP Frantz Benjamin, who tried to take over the proceedings as best he could.
Quebec Solidaire MP Sol Zanetti ended up setting everything on fire by inflating a blue balloon before releasing it to deflate.
“There are not many words that can describe the deflation of CAQ nationalism, but perhaps this picture could help,” he said.
Behind him, his party’s elected officials scoffed.
Mr. Benjamin then intervened to remind Mr. Zanetti that this type of gesture is not allowed within the boundaries of the National Assembly.
The supporting MP’s gesture was not appreciated on the other side of the room. Prime Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette called for a harsher punishment for the QS MP, which Mr Benjamin rejected.
The mood continued to heat up, and in the face of this chaos, Mr. Benjamin was forced to suspend the work of the meeting for about ten minutes.
When he was readmitted, Mr. Zanetti was not punished for his actions.
“Sol Zanetti’s gesture at the Salon Bleu is unacceptable within our institution, our National Assembly. “Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois must apologize on behalf of his political party,” the interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party wrote on X a few minutes later.
This is the second day in a row that Nathalie Roy’s absence has been felt in Parliament. On Wednesday, CAQ MP Sylvain Lévesque called himself “Madame President” a few times while leading the proceedings, each time eliciting a slight giggle.