Much has been made of the political legacy that Justin Trudeau must live on as he follows in the footsteps of his father, a former prime minister.
On Wednesday, he referred to one of Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s most memorable jokes when asked if he spoke a non-parliamentary language.
– What is the nature of your thoughts, gentlemen, when you move your lips in a certain way? the current prime minister told reporters as he left the House of Commons.
This is an echo from 1971, when Pierre Trudeau was accused of “uttering obscene four-letter words” in opposition benches.
The older Trudeau denied saying anything. Pressed by reporters, he replied, “What is the nature of your thoughts, gentlemen, when you say fuddle-duddle or something like that?”
On Wednesday, his son was ready to report.
Conservatives accused him of “throwing an F-bomb”, with MP John Barlow telling the House that “it was not fun”.
WATCH: Pierre Trudeau responded in 1971 to allegations of using “four-letter obscenity” in the House of Representatives
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau swears he did not use obscene four-letter words. 2:14
The remark was not captured by the microphone in the live broadcast of the production. Vice President Chris d’Entremon said he had not heard.
Even the Tories were unaware of what they heard, although opposition House leader John Brasard said about a dozen of his colleagues heard it. They formally asked the president to review Hansard and determine if non-parliamentary language was used.
The Liberals demanded a review of what “from all sides of the House” said in detail, including the names of the deputies and what they said.
Brasard told reporters that Trudeau used “a six-letter reference followed by another word.”
“Anyway, I don’t think he liked the line of questioning today and that’s why he reacted,” he said.
The alleged obscenity came during a conversation with Conservative MP Kerry-Lynn Findley, who asked Trudeau if a military plane had been used to monitor Ottawa during the Freedom Convoy protests this winter.
The prime minister replied that her question was “dangerously close to misinformation and misinformation designed to create fears and conspiracy theories”.
He denied that a special forces unit had monitored the protest around Parliament Hill and said they had participated in a pre-planned exercise.
On Wednesday, the period of questions repeatedly turned into inconsistent shouts on both sides of the aisle, even drowning out the speaker.
After Trudeau’s answer, d’Antremon had to ask for order.
He reminded lawmakers that “several lines have indeed passed there”, adding: “I heard it from all sides”.
This is not the first time Trudeau has been tested for his language.
In 2011, when he was a liberal MP in opposition, he apologized to the House after calling then-Environment Minister Peter Kent a “piece …” during another heated debate.
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