Liberals considering proroguing Parliament amid document impasse? Freeland says 'no'
The minority Liberal government is not considering proroguing Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday, despite persisting uncertainty over who is willing to keep propping them up and procedural wrangling over a Conservative led-privilege debate.
Asked about the chatter and if the prime minister was mulling ending this session of Parliament and resetting with a throne speech, Freeland said "no."
Work in the House of Commons has stalled now for eight straight sitting days, as MPs are seized with a priority discussion about their work being impeded by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government not turning over documents related to misspending by a now-defunct green technology fund.
In late September, House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus ruled the Liberals did not fully comply with a House order seeking materials related to a Sustainable Development Technology Canada program the Conservatives are calling a "green slush fund."
This opened up the ability for the Official Opposition to demand the Liberals hand over unredacted copies to the RCMP and advance a priority motion to – as the House Speaker suggested given the extraordinary circumstances – have the issue studied at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee.
Deliberations on the proposal take precedence over most other House business and have essentially seized the Commons since. As a result, the government hasn't been able to debate, let alone pass, key government legislation.
As of late Tuesday, there were no signs of the debate collapsing to allow the matter to come to a vote.
"We're ready for this matter to move on," Government House Leader Karina Gould said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pledged Tuesday to keep the debate going until the Liberals relent.
"We're not just going to let sit $400 million of corruption be swept under the rug so Justin Trudeau can get on with his day," he told reporters in the House foyer.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Oct. 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
The Liberals have taken the stance that passing this paperwork on to police would set a dangerous precedent and be an abuse of Parliament's power.
Speaking to reporters, Gould said what's going on in the chamber is a "Conservative filibuster of Conservative obstruction."
"They're afraid that if this study goes to committee what they will hear from experts is that this is an egregious abuse of power… And just because the House has the right to do it does not mean that it should," she said.
Despite the logjam, the Liberal government is still trying to put new policy forward. Freeland unveiled new housing measures Tuesday, meant to make it easier to build secondary suites, as well as consultations on taxing vacant land.
But the post-announcement press conference was dominated by the state of the House, as well as questions about the state of talks with the Bloc Quebecois and New Democrats over their support on future confidence votes.
On the latter, Freeland said "constructive and very concrete conversations" are ongoing with both parties. As for the House holdup, she thinks parties will recognize the Conservatives are "wasting precious parliamentary time with dilatory motion."
To end the current impasse, the minority Liberals will need another party to help them force the House to move on to other business. On Tuesday, the NDP didn't seem keen to play that role.
"We believe that Canadians expect members of Parliament to act like adults and get back to work. Liberals can hand over the documents. Conservatives can stop their filibuster of their own motion," NDP House Leader Peter Julian said.
With no indication they'll be assisted in ending the standstill, speculation continues to swirl around another lever the Liberals could pull to end the impasse: prorogation.
It's a parliamentary pause button Steven Harper's minority government pushed back in 2009, amid a similar dispute over disclosing unredacted documents regarding Afghan detainees.
And even with Freeland tamping down the chances of Trudeau taking a page from that playbook and pulling the plug on this session, political observers say the Liberals would be wise to keep the option in their back pocket.
"The atmosphere in the House of Commons is not going to improve. The risks of going into an election are not going to shrink, they're going to grow. And the need for the government to play some different cards, to place a different focus in front of Canadians, to shift course if they wish to avoid a really humbling outcome in the next election, that is really paramount," CTV News political commentator Scott Reid said.
"Prorogation offers you time to consider those possibilities, and to make something out of an adjustment."
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Olympian, veteran, first Canadian Indigenous police officer honoured in Belgium
Alex Decoteau didn’t live to see his 30th birthday, but what he accomplished in his 29 years of life was simply remarkable.
Here are new guidelines for preventing stroke
The majority of strokes could be prevented, according to new guidelines aimed at helping people and their doctors do just that.
Quebec police find escaped inmate
Quebec provincial police (SQ) found a man who escaped lawful custody in the Laurentians.
Iranian American human rights activists expresses defiance over Iranian plots to kill her and Trump
In the middle of a Berlin hotel cafe, Masih Alinejad raises her voice and starts singing at the top of her lungs in Farsi, as waiters turn to watch along with the three German government bodyguards assigned to protect her.
Decluttering your closet 'has to be easy,' here's how
Decluttering your closet can be an easy task when you follow the "one in, one out" rule according to an Ottawa specialist.
Biden and Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House says
U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump will meet Wednesday in the Oval Office, the White House said Saturday.
Lawyers allege foreign interference in high-profile Canadian mafia deportation case
Lawyers for an alleged high-ranking member of the Italian Mafia in Toronto claim evidence is being used against him that is the product of foreign interference by Italian police.
Haul out the holly! Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrives in New York City
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrived in New York City on Saturday, signaling the start of the holiday season in the Big Apple.
‘No safety, no stability’: Recovery centre tenants forced to find new homes following court-ordered cease and desist
After less than six months, families living in a southern Winnipeg condominium development are being forced to move out.
Local Spotlight
'There was no stopping this baby from coming': Woman gives birth while on board N.L. ferry
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
B.C. man discovers 115 stuffed animals hidden behind wall, begins donating them to people around world
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
'We put love into it': Group of N.S. women gather to make quilts for those in need
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.
Vancouver musician lands 'meaningful interaction' with Ed Sheeran after busking outside his show
A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.
10K hand-knit poppies displayed at the Dartmouth Cenotaph
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
'I put my whole life on hold': B.C. man embarks on Arctic to Antarctica trek
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.
Windsor teen's shredded pepperoni pizza post goes viral
A Windsor teen’s social media post showing off a distinctive Windsor pizza topping has gone viral, drawing millions of views worldwide and sparking new curiosity about Windsor-style pizza.
'You look like me': 7-year-old who went viral for his Auston Matthews Halloween costume meets Leafs star
Auston Matthews has come face to face with his look-alike. On Thursday, the Maple Leafs star met seven-year-old Grayson Joseph, who went viral for dressing up as an Auston Matthews hockey card.
'You never know what you're going to find': Halifax junk remover shares some of his company's strangest discoveries
A Halifax junk remover shares some of his company’s strangest discoveries.