With the news that the New Democrats' Taras Natyshak won't run in the 2022 provincial election, QP Briefing decided to say farewell by rounding up some of his standout moments in the legislature.
Seated right next to Leader Andrea Horwath in the chamber, Natyshak is the NDP's go-to attack dog in question period, with a knack for asking dagger-like questions that often ruffle the premier's feathers. If you attend a question period in person before June, try to get a look at Doug Ford's glare when Natyshak is talking.
You'll notice that while Natyshak has been in office since 2011, all these quotes come during the Ford administration. While he asked some pointed questions to former premier Kathleen Wynne, they were generally more earnest and less comedically-inclined. He came into his own when Ford was elected, and clearly spent a lot of time coming up with zingers for the Progressive Conservative (PC) leader and his ministers.
Here are 10 of Natyshak's most notable moments from his question period career, organized by date. (We didn't include other legislative business, as slogging through a few dozen pages of Hansard felt like enough.)
Witty guys
"Your witty guys are supposed to be in the front row." (Nov. 14, 2018)
This jeer came during a heated exchange between NDP education critic Marit Stiles and then-Education Minister Lisa Thompson, who responded to Stiles' "nonsense," prompting then-PC Roman Baber to interject, "It’s the Nonsense Democratic Party." It didn't land very well, and Natyshak didn't miss the opportunity to rub it in.
Ford's cell number
"For the workers watching at home who may not have the premier’s personal cellphone number but want the premier to fight for their jobs, can the premier confirm that his cellphone number is still 416-805-2156? Let me say that again: 416-805-2156. Is that what it is?" (Nov. 29, 2018)
Ford, like his late brother Rob, has a habit of handing out his personal cell number to people to lend a personal touch. He has changed his number since this incident, because he said he was receiving far too many texts and calls.
The back of the van
"Speaker, we know that the premier would love to relive the glory days of operating out of the back of a van, but the OPP have better things to do than take verbal abuse and hide the cost of his personal pleasure wagon." (Feb. 27, 2019)
Perhaps Natyshak's favourite topic is the premier's planned $50,000 <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-camper-van-1.5032704" target="_blank" rel="noopener">personal van</a> — or "pleasure wagon," as Natyshak often put it. He said that phrase 15 times between 2018 and 2019 — not including alternatives like "Hot Wheels magic mystery tour bus," "souped-up man cave on wheels" and "Taj Mahal on wheels."
In this instance, Natyshak was likely referring to a 2013 Globe and Mail <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/globe-investigation-the-ford-familys-history-with-drug-dealing/article12153014/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigation</a> that found Ford dealt cannabis in high school (which the premier has strenuously denied). And he snuck it through — despite interjections from the crowd, Speaker Ted Arnott didn't call on him to withdraw.
Check out NDP MPP Ian Arthur's face when he hears the jab.
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#PlateGate riffing
"If the premier is interested in better suggestions, the people across Ontario have been putting their ideas forward. There’s 'Ontario: Race to the Bottom', 'Ontario: Yours to Recover,' and, Speaker, my personal favourite, 'Ontario: Clap or Else.'" (April 3, 2019)
Remember when license plates were the biggest news story in the province? After the PCs attempted to switch Ontario over to ill-fated blue plates with an "Open For Business" slogan, Natyshak rounded up some of his favourite ideas from an online plate <a href="https://www.yourstocustomize.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">generator</a>.
An ale-ing premier
"Will the premier admit to Ontarians that every idea he brews up is a bad one?" (March 5, 2019)
Nothing wrong with a pun. Natyshak was prodding Ford over his plans to tear up the contract with The Beer Store, and made a callback to the premier's signature buck-a-beer promise — which, Natyshak said, actually made beer prices go up.
Wading in
"We understand the premier has asked Mayor (John) Tory not to meddle in provincial affairs. The premier has criticized the mayor for 'irresponsibly wading into provincial issues' that he is either not involved in or doesn’t understand. We get it, Speaker. It’s annoying when another level of government irresponsibly wades into issues that they aren’t involved in and they really don’t understand. Speaker, can the premier explain why he does it so often?"
The one thing Natyshak may enjoy more than bringing up Ford's pleasure wagon is using the premier's own words against him. In this instance, he noted the irony of the premier accusing the mayor of Toronto — whose council he cut in half during an election — of meddling, and pounced.
The Raptors incident and other commies
"Speaker, I want to start by expressing my condolences to the premier for being booed yesterday in what he said was the first time ever by a gang of about 1,000 left-wing socialists—" (May 15, 2019)
Natyshak fired this missile after the premier was thunderously booed at the Toronto Raptors' victory parade, after winning the NBA championship. It was a rough moment for Ford, who was experiencing perhaps the lowest popularity of his premiership. Natyshak couldn't pass up the opportunity to twist the knife.
"With each passing day, the premier’s plan to waste millions of dollars on partisan advertising and forcing businesses to display Conservative campaign stickers draws more and more criticism from the left-wing thugs and radicals out there. This morning, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a notorious Marxist sect, and the famously left-wing Toronto Sun denounced the premier’s plan." (May 15, 2019)
From the same question period, Natyshak is referring to the since-abandoned PC plan to force gas stations to display anti-carbon backstop propaganda stickers. That was not popular, even among the premier's usual allies.
Scheer disrespect
"Can the premier tell us whether he’s taking this five-month vacation because he plans to campaign for the Conservatives, or is it because the one thing that Andrew Scheer desperately needs to shore up falling poll numbers is for the people to see much, much less of this premier?" (June 6, 2019)
During the 2019 federal election, Ford's unpopularity was an issue for the federal Conservatives, who snubbed him while campaigning, even in Ontario. While criticizing the government for a lengthy legislative break, Natyshak couldn't resist the dig.
Climate reading
"...Mr. (Joe) Oliver has found some time on the side to denounce what he calls 'climate alarmists' and even suggested, 'Let’s not ignore the greater personal comfort of living in a more hospitable climate.' Apparently, Mr. Oliver shares the same love of periodicals as the minister of energy." (Dec. 3, 2019)
Natyshak spent a good deal of time pressing then-Energy Minister Greg Rickford after the latter cited a climate change denial blog to justify the government axing some green energy projects, then gave an infamous seconds-long scrum, after days of questioning, where he said he believed climate change is man-made.
In summary
"You’re such a piece of shit." (June 24, 2020)
Of course, sometimes, the ruffler can become the rufflee, as it was when Natyshak lost his cool at the premier over COVID-19 outbreaks among migrant farm workers, many of whom are in Natyshak's riding of Essex. After some back-and-forth, Ford said that an industry official told him "without prompting" that Natyshak "has done absolutely nothing here." (The Ford government had, and retains, a majority.)

Taras Natyshak’s top 10 question period moments

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