OTTAWA –The Liberal government has launched the House of Commons into weeks of late-night sittings until the scheduled end of this Parliament, in an effort to pass as many bills as possible before the session ends ahead of the fall federal election.
The motion to tack on extra hours for MPs to debate government business passed on Tuesday evening, with the opposition parties voting against it. Effective immediately, the sitting hours of the House have been extended to midnight, Mondays through Thursdays until the end of the session, scheduled for June 21.
There are a number of procedural aspects to the motion presented by Government House Leader Bardish Chagger,, including prohibiting any "dilatory motions" -- parliamentary speak for delay tactics -- to be proposed after 6:30 p.m., reserving the evening debate time solely for government business, and setting aside time for outgoing MPs' farewell speeches.
Extending the sitting hours typically happens in the final few weeks of any session, and perhaps is not a surprise given there are more than 20 government bills awaiting passage in the House or Senate, and about the same number of sitting days to pass whatever legislation remains.
This window could be extended should the government decide it needs to keep MPs in town to ensure the passage of the forthcoming implementation legislation for the renegotiated NAFTA deal.
Spotlight on Liberal House record
The debate on the midnight sitting motion began on Monday and the conversation in the Commons quickly turned into an opposition-led assessment of the government’s broader legislative record and shortcomings when it comes to promised House reforms, courtesy of the opposition House leaders.
Over the course of the last four years the Liberals have introduced 105 government bills, and have passed just over half of those, 68. The Liberals came to power decrying the previous Conservative government's use of omnibus bills or time allocation, and have proceeded to do both. Though, it vowed to not prorogue Parliament and has not, making this Parliament one long session.
Conservative House Leader Candice Bergen was the first to speak to the motion. Tensions between her and Chagger have become quite heated during certain moments of procedural wrangling over the course of this parliament, including during the handful of Conservative-led filibusters. There were also instances of considerable tension over the Liberals' scaled-down proposal to reform the rules that govern the House, and the infamous "elbowgate" when Trudeau accidentally elbowed NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the chest on the floor of the Commons while ushering MPs in for a vote.
Bergen said that when Trudeau appointed Chagger, a rookie MP as the first female House leader, she had concerns but thinks Chagger has done "a commendable job in that time with the hand she has been dealt."
Though, Bergen—who took over from Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer as House Leader early on in this Parliament— continued: "It is clear that is the message she is getting from the top. That is what she is hearing from the Prime Minister and the people at the top who direct her."
Bergen also raised concerns that this motion—which is similar to the debate-extending motions previous Conservative governments also advanced—will take away tools that the opposition have to hold the government to account.
"It is no surprise that in the dying days of the scandal ridden, promise breaking, tax raising and very severely ethically challenged disaster of a Liberal government, we are seeing Liberals use disrespectful, draconian and bully-like mannerisms to get their agenda accomplished," Bergen said.
"We are very happy to work hard and long hours… However, we are not impressed that we are being asked to join the Liberals' desperate scramble to be able to claim that they have accomplished something, rather than having squandered four years in office while surfing on a sense of entitlement."
Then it was NDP House Leader Peter Julian's turn. He started this parliament as the New Democrat's house leader, but then was replaced by Murray Rankin, and then the aforementioned MP who was on the wrong end of Trudeau's elbow, Brosseau took the helm. Julian returned to the role not long ago, it was one he held in the previous Parliament as well.
He repeatedly referenced the vocabulary in all ministerial mandate letters, which included a requirement to collaborate with opposition colleagues and "bring new leadership and a new tone to Ottawa." Julian said the Liberal have come up short on that pledge, as they have with their plans to make Parliament more family friendly.
"Four years later, all of the promises of sunny ways that we heard from the Liberals belong on the trash heap of history. We have had a very mean-spirited government that has tried to railroad the rights of Parliament repeatedly. Ultimately, I think the Liberals will pay a price for this on October 21," he said.
Late nights mean 'more time for debate'
In advance of these criticisms, Chagger sought to highlight the roster of bills the government was able to pass through the House, and the newly-independent Senate, to become law.
She said the extended hours of sittings are needed to usher through their still sizeable roster of key bills to pass.
"Passage of this motion would give all members exactly what they often ask for: more time for debate. I know every member wants to deliver for their communities and this motion will help with exactly that. We have much to accomplish in the coming weeks and we have the opportunity to add time to get more done," Chagger said.
Over her tenure the Liberals have been able to make some House changes, including Trudeau informally starting a tradition of designating Wednesdays as the day the prime minister would take all the questions levelled at him by the opposition and backbench government MPs.
The government wanted to formalize the Wednesday ritual but the opposition took serious issue, saying it would set precedent that would let the prime minister get away with only having to attend and be accountable once a week. Not able to agree, it hasn't been formalized and is done by convention, meaning it could cease in a future Parliament.
The Liberals have also changed the rules to no longer allow parliamentary secretaries who sit on House committees to have voting privileges, and gave the House of Commons Speaker new powers to divide up omnibus bills for the purpose of voting on unrelated elements.
