I’ll let you in on a little secret: they’re lot friendlier than you know.

Members of Parliament, that is. Partisan differences notwithstanding, durable friendships persist behind the scenes. And evidence of that crept into full public view, this week, as King Charles alighted on Canadian soil to read the Liberal Platform Speech from the Throne. Ministers, MPs, Senators and staffers gathered on the Hill for the historic event, and things previously unseen became seen.

Conservative and Liberal partisans were astounded, for example, by the widely-circulated photo of former Prime Ministers Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau, clearly enjoying each others’ company. Harper was smiling, and Trudeau was seemingly convulsed with laughter. (Harper, unbeknownst to many, is a very, very funny guy.)

Some readers, who apparently actually believe Question Period is real life, were astounded and appalled. “Two-faced!” said “Macaw” over on a Reddit thread, although it is uncertain which leader he/she was referring to. Trudeau “behaved like a child!” pronounced “Ask Revolutionary1517.” And: “Weak men in suits!” declared “Basedregular1917.”

And so on, and so on. Knowledgeable commenters thought the Trudeau-Harper exchange wasn’t........

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