Good Tuesday morning,
Parliament will briefly reconvene on the Hill to debate and pass the feds’ $82-billion relief package in response to COVID-19, which includes a $2-billion boost to the Liberal government’s Canada Child Benefit and close to $5-billion to help workers not eligible for. Each party is sending representatives proportionate to their standing in the House of Commons, with the Liberals accounting for 15 of the MPs.
Some of the MPs from the Liberal Party who will be on hand for today’s debate include those in cabinet: Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Government House Leader Pablo Rodriguez, Transport Minister Marc Garneau, Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne, among others.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has offered use of the government jet to fly outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and other MPs who are not able to make their way by car to Ottawa, while the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh, party whip Rachel Blaney, and Lindsay Mathyssen will be there for the vote.
The Bloc’s three-member contingent includes its leader, Yves-François Blanchet, its house leader, Alain Therrien, and Gabriel Ste-Marie. For the Greens, New Brunswick MP Jenica Atwin will be the lone party rep.
Per Global News, the relief bill won’t be the only legislation up for debate, as the government looks to get parliamentary approval to give it the authority to tax, spend, or borrow without having to get consent from Parliament until December 2021. It would be a step further than the powers set out in the Emergencies Act, which, if deemed necessary, could see the government introduce a nationwide lockdown, and would require parliamentary approval. That act has a built-in expiration clause after 90 days. While it would delegate that authority from the provinces to the federal government, it would also allow for the co-ordination of their response.
According to Global News, the bill could potentially mean that the government, which is a minority situation, to sidestep votes of confidence when it comes to legislation that involves spending. Opposition parties were reportedly surprised that the bill would be tabled today.
Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux told The Globe and Mail that the bill is “unprecedented,” and “seeks to circumvent parliament, for both spending and tax by granting extraordinary powers to Cabinet and individual ministers.”
Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Freeland, meanwhile, signalled yesterday that the government is preparing to invoke the Emergencies Act, with such measures up for discussion during the planned conference call with premiers that day.
“We will talk about the possibility of using the emergency measures, and we will ask provinces what they think of this eventuality,” Ms. Freeland told reporters.
On the heels of Mr. Trudeau saying that he has yet to receive a formal request to invoke the act, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said he would support the move, noting that it would create a unified approach to the measures being taken to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The PM vented frustration yesterday at those who continue to defy the feds’ appeals to stay home, self-isolate, and practice social distancing. Amid reports that many continue to leisurely spend their weekend outdoors, Ontario and Quebec moved to order the closure of non-essential businesses. For Ontarians, Premier Doug Ford says it will be in place for 14 days, while Quebecers can expect it to last for three weeks.
An Abacus Data poll suggested that men 45 years old and older are the least worried about COVID-19, despite being in the higher-risk category, with 42 per cent of them saying they are only “a little” or “not at all” worried. That’s compared to 24 per cent and 29 per cent of women between the ages of 45-59 and 60 and over, respectively.
The PM, as per usual, will be presiding over a daily press briefing at 11:15 a.m. from Rideau Cottage.
Former Conservative MP Lisa Raitt, who chairs the party’s leadership committee, says there aren’t any plans to push back the contest, which has been set for June 27, despite growing calls, including from Erin O’Toole, to do so.
The Hill Times
