COLUMN: On Parliament Hill – Prorogation: The good, the bad, and the very bad

On Monday Jan. 6, Justin Trudeau announced his intention to resign as prime minister and the prorogation of Canada’s parliament.

Prior to his news conference, Trudeau met with the governor general and requested she prorogue (or prematurely end) the 44th Parliament.

Prorogation is essentially a kill-switch. Every piece of legislation before the House of Commons dies. Committees cease to meet. Investigations cannot proceed. Everything stops.

It is, however, also a “re-set button” as the government of the day remains in power and no election is called. Trudeau should have terminated parliament through “dissolution” which would have triggered a general election, giving Canadians the opportunity to change course.

The good:

This prorogation has some positives for Canadians, as numerous pieces of deeply flawed Liberal legislation will not pass into law.

Among these bills are the fall economic statement (mini-budget) which saw an inflation-driving deficit of $62 billion—$22 billion higher than Trudeau and would be successor Chrystia Freeland promised only months before.

Another bill that will not pass is C-63, the Liberals’ deeply flawed “online harms” legislation.

Likewise, Bill C-46 attacking the rights of natural health product users, and the government’s Ways and Means motion hitting farmers and small business owners with their punitive new capital gains tax increase.

There are other private members’ bills I am glad will not see the light of day including (but certainly not limited to) bills S-233 and C-223 calling for a guaranteed basic income.

Even if these bills were to be revived when parliament returns, there is not the time or political support to pass them before the government inevitably falls.

The bad:

The Liberal Government (that is Prime Minister Trudeau and his cabinet) remain in power.

Given that Trudeau did not resign but simply stated his intention to resign once a new leader was selected, he remains in power—with nothing to lose.

The PM, cabinet ministers, and all of their executive staff (i.e. the same people gave you the Canada of the past nine years) all remain in their positions. With the exception of new spending or passing legislation (which must be agreed to by parliament) they can do pretty much what they want.

Worse yet, Canadians will be forced to wait until the spring for the election we should be having right now. Trudeau should have called an election. The only reason for proroguing was to avoid losing a confidence vote and to give his Liberal Party time to regroup and elect a new leader.

There are also a number of good bills that will die including C-275 which would have strengthened biosecurity and food safety on farms, several much-needed criminal justice reforms, and my own commonsense Bill C-400 enshrining the access to and use of physical currency (cash). Thankfully, these are all likely to be resurrected and passed under a new Conservative Government.

The very bad:

Canadians continue to struggle with sky-high inflation, record housing prices, and rampant crime.

As the incoming Trump administration is promising 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, Canada is without serious representation at the federal level. The tariff threat is real and deeply troubling. Worse still, after nine years of economic vandalism under Trudeau, Canada is in no position to fight back in any meaningful way. Moreover, President Trump knows Trudeau is on his way out and he’s not about to hand him a parting victory.

Also, while Trudeau’s prorogation ensured the Liberals’ new capital gains tax increase will not pass into law, the CRA is still moving ahead with applying the proposed increases anyway. This is based on an existing CRA policy that is based on what is likely to become law rather than what has passed and received Royal ascent. This is bureaucracy run amok in a leadership vacuum.

This is a time when Canada needs a strong, principled, and driven leader, not a self-serving lame duck.

Parliament is slated to be re-called for a new session on March 24. In theory, by then the Liberals will have a new leader, and unless it’s Mark Carney (who is not a sitting MP) Canadians will have a new Prime Minister.

However, in March, parliament must vote on whether or not to fund the government. Any bill having to do with money is a confidence vote. Opposition parties have all stated they will vote against this bill to bring down the Liberal government, and barring another NDP flip-flop, send Canadians into an election this spring.

Canada’s common-sense Conservatives are ready to lead.

We will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget, and stop the crime.

In a final self-serving act, Justin Trudeau closed the doors to the people’s house.

Conservatives will bring home Canada’s promise that every hardworking Canadian gets a powerful paycheque and pension that buys affordable food and homes on safe streets; where we are all united for the country we know and love.

Canada’s Conservatives will bring it home.