Canadian MPs return to power after sweeping changes over summer recess – National
On Monday, parliamentarians will return to the familiar stone walls of Ottawa’s West Block and find that the political landscape has changed considerably.
At their last meeting in the capital, the Liberals knew their prospects were slim after stagnating in the polls for more than a year, but they were confident the New Democrats would keep them from falling before they tabled the next budget, at least.
But the summer has been marked by several radical changes that mean the government will now operate as a true minority that could fall at any time in an election.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh pulled out of a political pact with the government weeks ago and is already facing a challenge from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to pass a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ruling party.
The stakes are high for the NDP, whose campaign promise does not appear to have improved drastically because of some of the legislation and programs it managed to secure from the Liberals as part of the deal, including a national dental care plan and a pharmacare bill currently making its way through the Senate.
The new dynamic opens up new opportunities for the Bloc Québécois, whose leader Yves-François Blanchet has already signaled that he is ready to do business with the Liberals in exchange for his own list of demands beneficial to Quebec.
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The Bloc’s conditions include the Liberals’ green light to private member’s Bill C-319, which would raise pensions for seniors aged 65 to 74 to the same level as those paid to those aged 75 and over.
The Bloc needs a royal recommendation from a government minister to approve the financial implications and pass the bill through the House.
The Liberals, for their part, have said they are avoiding political machinations fomented by opposition parties and are instead focusing on “helping Canadians.”
While the Liberals would likely prefer to get their major bills through the House, including their pharmacare bill and the controversial Online Harms Act, other parties could make that progress difficult.
Singh has become much more critical of the prime minister and his government since breaking his trust with the Liberals, but party insiders have suggested he is no more eager to call an election than Trudeau at the moment.
All parties will be put to the test on Monday after MPs leave for the evening to anxiously await the results of two crucial by-elections.
Both the NDP and the Liberals are trying to hold on to their positions as the political odds appear to be slimming. The results will set the tone in Parliament for the rest of the season.
The NDP is trying to fend off Poilievre’s Conservatives in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, while the Liberals are leading a three-way race against the NDP and Bloc in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun.
“I look forward to the conversations we’ll have in (LaSalle — Émard — Verdun) this weekend, but I also look forward to welcoming Laura Palestini to Ottawa on Monday,” Trudeau said, projecting a positive view of his Liberal candidate’s prospects in the Montreal riding on Friday.
Trudeau faced calls from Liberal loyalists to step down as party leader after his last byelection loss in Toronto-St. Paul’s in June. Those calls appeared to ease over the summer.
Although Liberal MPs were quick to deny that the Montreal race was a referendum on his leadership when they retreated to Nanaimo last week to discuss strategy, that’s largely how the vote is being viewed elsewhere in Ottawa.
Singh could face similar scrutiny if he loses the NDP’s long-held seat in Winnipeg and fails to retake the Montreal riding from the Liberals.
The Conservatives are expected to meet in Ottawa this weekend to discuss their plan for the fall session and how they can pressure their opponents to shorten it.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
