Prime Minister Mark Carney took part in his first question period Wednesday but will break with a tradition established by his predecessor.

Justin Trudeau, as prime minister, made a practice of answering all questions in the House of Commons on Wednesdays to enhance accountability. A PMO source confirmed to Global News and the Canadian Press that Carney will discontinue the practice.

In 2017, Trudeau stated all MPs should be able to question the prime minister, not just party leaders. Critics believed his scheduling was intended to avoid weekday scrutiny on other matters.

It didn't take long for Carney to face criticism Wednesday for his responses.

In his first question period, Carney defended his economic plans and the federal budget against attacks from Conservatives and other opposition members.

Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer criticized the prime minister for evading a question about allegations that the government "secretly dropped" counter-tariffs on U.S. goods to "effectively zero" via exemptions, accusing him of quickly adopting "old Liberal habits of not being able to answer questions."

Asked about the delay of the federal budget until the fall, Carney cited recently tabled legislation, including middle-class tax cuts and a GST rebate for first-time homebuyers.

"Our plan includes legislating for one Canadian economy and nation-building projects immediately to grow this economy, and we expect the support from all in this House," he said.

Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus criticized the lack of a budget as a missing plan, questioning the Liberal government's financial transparency. Carney defended his legislative plan in French as "daring" and "ambitious."

Global reports that the prime minister will remain in the House of Commons weekly for question period and will participate in opening responses to opposition leaders.

He will deviate from Trudeau's practice of answering questions from all MPs on Wednesday, and will only take questions from party leaders and top deputies.

Following responses to opposition leaders, the prime minister deferred questions to cabinet ministers regarding their portfolios, who then faced more heckling than Carney.

Carney remained calm during questioning, and the exchanges did not escalate to the point of requiring intervention from the Speaker, a contrast to the frequent heated moments in the previous Parliament.

The spring legislative session follows the election of House Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia on Monday and yesterday's Throne Speech.

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