House of Commons breaks for holidays as MPs reflect on 2018

Share

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will learn the fate of free trade under a protectionist, unpredictable U.S. President. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer will face off against an ever-popular Prime Minister, who took two Tory seats in recent by-elections. And NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will simply try to get known.

As the House of Commons breaks until the end of January, the three major political parties are preparing for distinct challenges in the lead-up to the next general election in 2019.

MPs were reflective of the road ahead on Wednesday as they made their way into the House of Commons for the final time this year.

Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said he views Mr. Trudeau's two recent apologies – to the LGBTQ community, and to the survivors of Newfoundland residential schools – as the defining moments of the past few months.

"They set a very important tone for this government," Mr. Bains said.

The government's biggest challenges, he said, are those it doesn't control. That includes the North American free-trade agreement, which is increasingly uncertain as U.S. President Donald Trump toys with pulling out of the deal.

"There's many issues out of our control that we don't necessarily have a say in. So we need to be mindful of that. We're not an island," Mr. Bains said.

Conservatives say they've seen success in their opposition to the Liberal government's proposed tax changes, which were significantly scaled back after an outcry from small-business owners. Still, Mr. Scheer was unable to hold on to two seats in recent by-elections in Quebec and British Columbia.

Conservative MP Kevin Sorenson, the former minister of state for finance, said his party will continue to focus on fiscal matters as Mr. Scheer meets with people from across the country. "More people get to know him, the more they'll appreciate him," Mr. Sorenson said.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, Mr. Singh said he's disappointed by this week's by-election results, in which the NDP vote share dropped in four ridings. But he said he's going to keep working hard. "I always knew it wasn't going to take two months to turn things around," said Mr. Singh, who won the leadership in October.

Long-time NDP MP David Christopherson said there is a lot of optimism in caucus about Mr. Singh, who has decided to tour the country and not to seek a seat in Parliament right away. "Our biggest challenge is going to be getting our new leader known," Mr. Christopherson said. "It takes time, especially when you're the third party."

In their final sitting of Parliament on Wednesday – two days ahead of schedule – MPs passed a ministerial salaries bill, and a fast-tracked bill to expunge the criminal records of LGBTQ Canadians who were charged for previous offences. Only a handful of other bills have received royal assent since September, a result, some said, of a more independent Senate.

"Quality, not quantity," Liberal MP Marc Miller, parliamentary secretary for infrastructure, said when asked about the slow pace on Wednesday. "We've put in place a Senate that now has an active role and isn't just rubber-stamping legislation."

MPs also approved three appointments, for a new lobbying commissioner, official languages commissioner and ethics commissioner – although there was dissent from the New Democrats, who have criticized the Liberals' nomination process.

The Senate is expected to break by the end of this week as well – one week ahead of schedule – and will take up the Liberals' marijuana legislation, a drug-impaired driving bill, as well as a major transport bill that includes the makings of a passenger bill of rights, upon its return on Jan. 30. The Senate also passed a government budget bill on Wednesday night.

All three parties are holding caucus retreats in January: the NDP in Chicoutimi, Que., where a by-election will be held in the coming months to replace Liberal MP Denis Lemieux, who quit in November, the Conservatives in Victoria and the Liberals in Ottawa.