'We want things to go forward': Bloc leader hints his party 'might' help end House impasse
The leader of the Bloc Quebecois says his party "might play a role" in helping the Liberals get House of Commons business rolling again — after days of Conservative-led debate on a privilege matter — but that his assistance would come at a cost.
"We have said what we do want in order to have this Parliament get back to work normally, and it is to have the royal recommendation on C-319," Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Wednesday, referencing his still-unmet ultimatum to the Liberals that they ensure a pair of Bloc bills get through Parliament by Oct. 29 or risk an election before the new year.
"We are not responsible for the way other parties behave," Blanchet said ahead of his party's caucus meeting on Wednesday. “And I believe that both Liberals and Conservatives, whatever they say, are quite happy about the situation, because they seem to gain from the fact that the Parliament is not working."
"Everybody is trying to keep things the way they are and say the other party is responsible for what's happening," he continued. "We are not in that state of mind. We want things to go forward, and we might play a role in what's coming the next few days."
Since late September, the House of Commons has been mired in a battle over process, and the production of unredacted documents, which has essentially halted all government business
After House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus ruled the Liberals did not fully comply with a June order seeking materials related to misspending by a now-defunct Sustainable Development Technology Canada fund, the Conservatives advanced a privilege motion pushing for disclosure.
The Conservatives want the Liberals to hand over unredacted documents to the RCMP, arguing that until the Liberals agree to do so, they're prepared to keep running the clock to prevent the motion at hand from going to a vote.
The motion on the table calls for the extraordinary circumstances of the case to be studied at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, with requests for key public servants and federal officials to testify. This acrimony stems from a damning auditor general report.
That motion and debate on it, per parliamentary rules, takes precedence over most other agenda items and as a result MPs have spent several days talking about the issue, preventing the government from advancing any debates on their priority legislation.
The Liberals have taken the stance that passing this paperwork on to police would set a dangerous precedent and be an "egregious" abuse of Parliament's power.
Absent debate collapsing to allow the motion to come to a vote, and end the current impasse, they will need another party to help them force the House to move on to other business.
The NDP still don't seem keen to help the Liberals bring an end to what they're labelling Conservative delay tactics.
"The ball is in the government's court," NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters ahead of question period. “They could do the right thing, move forward on accountability, and Parliament can move ahead.”
Ahead of a Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday, Government House Leader Karina Gould offered little intel on how negotiations are going with the Bloc, on either the outstanding ultimatum, or on ways to end the standoff in the Commons.
Later, Gould said that "every day we're debating privilege we’re not debating important legislation for Canadians."
Heading into Wednesday's Conservative caucus meeting, a few Tory MPs said that if the Liberals release the documents, they'll let Parliament get back to work.
"What is in these documents about this $400-million scandal that the prime minister is so afraid of?" asked Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in question period.
"This is a typical witch-hunt from the leader of the opposition," Gould said in response. "These are files, such as personnel files, that contain private information of individuals who have nothing to do with what is going on... It is the government's view that we should send this to committee so that we can get on with the important work of this House."
Next week is a constituency week, meaning MPs will be taking a break from deliberations in Ottawa to spend time in their ridings. If the Conservative's motion doesn't come to a vote by the end of the week, the Commons could still be stuck on this debate after Thanksgiving.
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
'There is no electricity': Canadian travellers in Cuba urge caution in hurricane's wake
Cuba's power grid was knocked out by Hurricane Rafael, which ripped across the country as a Category 3 storm. In western Cuba, it toppled buildings and pushed 50,000 people to find shelter elsewhere. Cubans were already enduring rolling blackouts due to energy shortages.
Sparks fly as MPs question minister on pension implications of proposed election date change
Sparks flew at a parliamentary committee Thursday as MPs questioned Canada's democratic institutions minister about a widely opposed provision in electoral reform legislation that seeks to delay the next fixed election date by one week.
Three charged in One Direction singer Liam Payne's death
Three people have been charged in relation to One Direction singer Liam Payne's death in a fall from his Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, Argentine authorities said on Thursday.
RCMP already 'on high alert' for potential wave of migrants after Trump election
Canada's federal police force has been preparing for months on a contingency plan for a potential massive influx of migrants across the border following Trump's promise of 'mass deportations' of millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
America votes: How celebrities are reacting to Trump's decisive victory
Celebrities from Hulk Hogan to Ariana Grande are sharing their reactions to the U.S. election, which will see Donald Trump return to the White House.
Biden delivers remarks following Trump's win
U.S. President Joe Biden delivered remarks to the nation Thursday in what was his first appearance on camera following Donald Trump’s decisive victory over Kamala Harris.
Canadian arrested in Florida for allegedly possessing child sex abuse content
A 25-year-old Canadian man was arrested in Florida last weekend after police say he was caught with child sex abuse content.
3 Winnipeg police officers charged with breach of trust, theft
Three members of the Winnipeg Police Service have been charged with breach of trust, obstruction of justice and theft following a lengthy investigation
Reporter accused of being Russian spy tells MPs they fell for disinformation
David Pugliese told the House of Commons security committee today he found it astonishing that none of the MPs on the committee challenged the allegations that he was a spy.
Local Spotlight
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.
'Smiles per gallon': B.C. man creates Canadian-themed art car with stuffed moose on roof
When Leah arrived at work directing traffic around a construction site, she never expected to see a van painted in all sorts of bright colours, and covered in eclectic decorations, including a stuffed moose attached to its roof.