Lose of NDP support likely to slow Liberals agenda

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OTTAWA — Without the NDP’s help, the Liberals will have to worry about more than just confidence votes in the fall session of Parliament that begins Monday, as they will no longer have a partner to help move their legislation through the House of Commons.

For the past two years, in addition to protecting the Liberals from confidence votes, the NDP helped the Liberals pass legislation and avoid some of the procedural delays that opposition parties can use to block the government agenda.

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Opposition MPs can extend debate in the House of Commons for days to delay a bill, introduce other motions that delay proceedings and obstruct work in committees to slow legislation even if it ultimately has the support to pass.

At his party’s caucus retreat, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said any help his party offered at parliamentary committees or in the House of Commons should no longer be counted on.

“All bets are off. We’ve torn up the agreement with the Liberals. That means they can expect no help and no support from us,” he said. “Anything that happens in Parliament will be based on … the best interest of Canadians.”

In previous sessions, the NDP supported the Liberals on a few occasions to invoke closure, effectively limiting the amount of debate so legislation can pass more quickly.

Liberal House leader Karina Gould said she is hopeful her party can find a path to work with both the NDP and Bloc Québécois to advance legislation. She said both parties grew tired of Conservative delay tactics in the spring session.

“Whether you’re a Liberal, NDP or Bloc member of Parliament, you’ve come to Ottawa to actually work for Canadians. And so, I think that’s what we’re going to continue to be able to do, just advance the work of parliamentarians despite the shenanigans of the Conservative MPs.”

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In addition to whatever new legislation the Liberals might table, the governing party had multiple bills left over from the spring session.

The so-called “lost Canadians” bill, which would restore citizenship to people born abroad whose parents are Canadians who were also born outside the country, was only in the early stages of debate when the House of Commons rose in June.

A new bill that would make sweeping changes to the military justice system is also on the books, as are proposed changes to open up more days for voting during a general election.

The Liberals’ online harms bill, which proposed to create a new digital safety commissioner and require social media companies to remove harmful content, also only cleared first reading in the House of Commons.

Gould said all of those bills will be priorities early in the session.

The House of Commons also contains rules that allow for opposition days, where the opposition parties set the rules for what is debated.

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There will be seven of those days during the fall session, but it is up to the government to set them. The Conservatives will get the majority of those days.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made clear last week that he will use his party’s first opposition day as a confidence vote and attempt to bring down the government.

Gould said she has no plans to approach the opposition days any differently than in past Parliamentary sessions.

“It’s just business as usual,” she said. “I’m going to, you know, move them forward as we typically do.”

National Post
rtumilty@postmedia.com

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