Just before the session ended for the holidays, Liberal MP Justin Trudeau lost his temper in the Commons and called Environment Minister Peter Kent a "piece of sh**."
At the time, Kent was mocking New Democrat environmental critic Megan Leslie to the delight of his Conservative colleagues.
A month earlier Kent denied her Canadian delegation accreditation to the United Nations conference on climate change in Durban, South Africa.
Leslie had to stay in Ottawa while Kent attended with a hand-picked delegation to fight against the Kyoto Accord and support every obstruction he put up against climate change.
The storm erupted back in Ottawa when Leslie accused the Harper government of ducking out on the Kyoto Accord to hide its failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Kent shot back that had she been in Durban she would have seen in fact that Canada is a leader..."
He never got any further. He was drowned out by shouting. First he blocks her from attending, and then he chides her for not attending
Conservative MPs howled with laughter at Leslie’s discomfiture.
Suddenly Justin Trudeau stood up to defend the lady and shouted "you are a piece of sh**" and the House of Commons erupting into pandemonium.
Trudeau quickly left the Chamber, but returned later and apologized for his “unparliamentary language” as they call it in the Commons.
"I lost my temper and used language that was most decidedly unparliamentary and for that I unreservedly apologize and withdraw my remarks," Trudeau said.
Kent demanded an "abject apology" to the House of Commons. The Speaker Andrew Scheer, replied that Trudeau had already apologized.
Later Trudeau said his remark was the result of Kent's "patronizing condescension" toward opposition MPs, particularly towards Leslie for being absent from Durban, "when he and the Prime Minister's Office did everything they could to keep the Opposition away."
"I lost my temper, I lost my cool."
Trudeau seemed most apologetic and contrite, but then he added:
“Perhaps I should have said it in French. It wouldn’t have sounded so strong.”
