Local Conservative Members of Parliament say the decision for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down is welcome news but the prorogation that accompanied the decision was less popular.
Trudeau’s Jan. 6 announcement that he would be stepping down as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC), and the country as a whole, wasn’t a surprise for many.
Alongside his announcement, Trudeau asked the Governor General of Canada to prorogue parliament, which effectively hits the reset button on the current parliamentary term. Any bills on the floor get erased, and when parliament returns on March 24 and a new Speech from the Throne is made by the Governor General.
“We need a government with a clear mandate from the Canadian people to deal with the challenges at this juncture,” said Westlock – Peace River MP Arnold Viersen.
“It doesn’t really matter who becomes the leader of the liberal party, all of the contenders have supported this government and the introduction of the carbon tax, the doubling of our housing prices and the free drugs that have been on our streets and the increase in crime.”
Viersen’s messaged echoed that of Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the CPC and the Official Opposition in the House of Commons. In a Jan. 7 press release, Poilievre stressed that the LPC had lost the confidence of the House, with the CPC, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois all aligned in opposition.
“Instead of giving Canadians a real choice in a carbon tax election, Trudeau quit and is going into hiding until March 24,” said Poilievre.
Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs, who represents an area spanning from Athabasca to Lloydminster, was unavailable for an interview but did provide a statement on Trudeau’s decision.
“The Prime Minister’s announcement to step down does not give Canadians the election they asked for. It actually changes nothing and their decision to prorogue parliament was just to avoid accountability. While Liberals take a break for the next two and a half months, we will continue to hold the government to account and ensure the NDP and Bloc keep their word and vote to have a carbon tax election immediately.”
What is prorogation?
Prorogation functions as a “reset” button for Parliament — the government is still in place, meaning Trudeau is still the Prime Minister, despite his announcement — but any parliamentary activity, including bills and committee work, are paused until Parliament resumes.
“It restarts as a clean slate,” said Viersen. “There’s a new Speech from the Throne, where the government will lay out a new direction. It’s kind of like what happens after an election only they’ve just forced it to happen in the middle of Parliament.”
Any legislation that was on the floor gets terminated and will have to be reintroduced in the next session of Parliament — the Online Harms Act and capital gains tax legislation are two major pieces of Liberal legislation that may not be reintroduced if debate doesn’t resume.
Once a new Speech from the Throne is made, there is the potential for discussion to pick up where they left off if a motion to resume debate passes, but Viersen said he’s expecting the Liberal government to be defeated in the first week.
“I think Parliament will survive maybe a week after returning from prorogation,” said Viersen. “Even the vote on the Speech from the Throne could be it.”
