OTTAWA—A Conservative MP broke down in tears Friday as he apologized for his non-answers to opposition questions earlier in the week, responses that stirred ridicule and prompted a Speaker’s warning about the level of parliamentary debate.

Paul Calandra, the parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, made a contrite statement about his partisan attack just days earlier.

“I would like to unconditionally, unreservedly apologize to the House for my behaviour the other day,” Calandra said, his voice breaking.

Calandra (Oak Ridges-Markham) landed in hot water Tuesday for his non-responses to NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair’s questions about Canada’s ongoing military mission in Iraq.

As Mulcair pressed for details about Canada’s military role, Calandra raised eyebrows by talking about Israel and a comment posted on social media by an NDP backer.

Mulcair pleaded unsuccessfully with Commons’ Speaker Andrew Scheer himself to press Calandra for a real answer.

Calandra made no apologies for his comments the next day, calling them “appropriate.”

“Glad that it’s caused a lot of debate and glad that people are talking about it,” he said Wednesday.

But that same day, Scheer stood in the Commons to say that Canadians expect MPs to “elevate” the level of parliamentary debate.

By Friday, Calandra’s tune had changed.

“Clearly, I allowed the passion and the anger (at) something I read, to get in the way of appropriately answering the question to the leader of the opposition,” Calandra told MPs.

“For that, I apologize to you, to the entire House and to my constituents.

And he insisted that he was to blame for his answers on Tuesday, rather than back-room party strategists.

“Despite what people think about kids in short pants, this was my response and I take full responsibility. I apologize to the leader of the opposition, to you, Mr. Speaker, and to all my colleagues,” Calandra said.

Calandra’s Greatest Hits

OTTAWA - Some of Paul Calandra’s more puzzling responses to questions in the House of Commons:

In response to an NDP question about Canada’s current mission in Iraq:

“Mr. Speaker, what does the leader of the Opposition not understand? Our friends in Israel are on the front lines, combating terrorism.”

In response to an NDP question about Nigel Wright:

“I do like flowers and, of course, with lemons I like to make lemonade. My two daughters, this summer, actually had a lemonade stand where they sold lemonade for five cents on the street. They did very well. I am very proud of them.”

In response to another question about the Senate expenses scandal:

“I have two daughters, a seven-year-old and a five-year-old, two beautiful girls, Natalie and Olivia, and each week I give them an allowance. Part of that allowance might be for cleaning their rooms. Both Natalie and Olivia know that sometimes their mother might clean their rooms. They both know that they should not ask for an allowance because they did not actually do the work. If my five-year-old and seven-year-old can figure this out, how is it that these senators cannot figure it out and how is it that the opposition supports that type of activity from our senators?”

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In response to a question about a former PMO staffer who left in the midst of the Senate expenses scandal:

“My father owned a pizza store. He worked 16 to 18 hours a day. I can tell the House what my father would not have done if he saw somebody stealing from his cash register. He would not have said ‘You are suspended, but make sure you come back every two weeks and collect a paycheque.’ What he would have said, ‘You’re fired, leave,’ and he would have called the police.”

The Canadian Press

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