House leader stands by Liberals’ decision to deliver omnibus budget implementation bill

Government House Leader Steve MacKinnon says they are ‘all ears’ to productive proposals from the opposition.

Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon is standing by the Liberals’ decision to deliver the Budget Implementation Act as a 634-page omnibus piece of legislation.

Bill C-15, the Budget Implementation Act, allows the government to enact the legislative policies laid out in the budget that require new laws or amendments to existing laws. Among other things, the legislation includes changes to transport laws, the Judges Act, and a clause that has garnered considerable pushback from opposition parties because it affords ministers the ability to supervise laws outside of the Criminal Code. Because it will be a confidence vote, its failure would topple the government.

Though the Liberal government under Justin Trudeau also introduced omnibus bills, prior to getting elected in 2015 the party’s campaign included a pledge not to introduce any after years of criticizing then-prime minister Stephen Harper for the practice.

“The Senate didn’t have to break it into 10 parts to study it, the Senate chose to break it into 10 parts to study it,” MacKinnon told CTV Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, when asked whether he regrets introducing the bill as an omnibus.

“This bill is a very, very comprehensive piece of economic legislation that will make life better for Canadians, and that will yield results right from the get-go,” he added. “So no, we have no regrets at all about all of the measures contained in that bill. We think they are all necessary, and we look forward to putting them into play.”

In 2015 — when MacKinnon was first elected as an MP — Trudeau called omnibus bills an “undemocratic practice.”

“I wasn’t there with Mr. Harper,” MacKinnon told Kapelos, when pressed on the government’s decision to present the Budget Implementation Act in that way. “I know he ran into a lot of opposition with respect to using that type of legislation.

“What I will say about Bill C-15 is it holds together as the prime minister’s economic plan for the country,” he added. “We think that all of its measures are important so that we can deal with the tariff threats coming from south of our border, so that we can diversify our export trade, as I say, build houses and create jobs at speeds that Canadians haven’t seen in a long time.”

MacKinnon said the bill will be up for consideration later this month, when MPs return to the House after a break week in their constituencies.

‘Good faith’ discussions around the bill?

There are portions of the bill — which is currently being studied at committee — to which the Conservatives are opposed, and which they’re calling on the Liberals to amend. Specifically, they take issue with parts of the bill that would afford ministers extra powers.

Asked specifically about those challenges in an interview for CTV Power Play with Vassy Kapelos earlier this week, Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer said he believes the Liberals are having conversations “in good faith” with his party to get the legislation passed.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, meanwhile, sat down for a one-on-one meeting on Parliament Hill earlier this month, later calling for greater collaboration between parties.

In an interview with Kapelos in late January, however, MacKinnon accused the Conservatives of “systemic obstruction.” Asked whether he concedes that his framing of the tone has not materialized, MacKinnon would not.

“I think my framing was not only pretty accurate as to what was occurring, but prescient,” he said, pointing to “progress on a number of pieces of legislation,” and adding Carney’s plans for Canada “are bearing fruit.”

When pressed by Kapelos on the apparent change in tone from the Conservatives, and willingness by the Opposition to work with the Liberals, MacKinnon emphasized the importance of the budget implementation bill.

“The Conservatives have expressed discomfort with one section of that bill relating to a deregulatory measure,” he said. “They usually are for cutting red tape, but in this case, have expressed some discomfort and asked us if we could circumscribe those measures somewhat.”

“We’re talking to them about doing that, and hopefully we can come to an agreement,” he also said.

You can watch Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon’s full interview on CTV Question Period Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.