ICYMI
- The federal government is set to outline its plan for reopening the border today. This announcement follows a media availability on June 18, where the Prime Minister hinted at how the federal government was working on vaccine passport specifics with the premiers. The Prime Minister said that the hope was to have a national system in place for fully vaccinated travellers by fall.
- We are in the final three days of this parliamentary session. The government’s priority remains passing the Budget Implementation Act Bill C-30, as well as net-zero Bill C-12 and banning conversion therapy through Bill C-6. In a press conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the government is also keen to pass Bill C-10, but that he expects continued opposition in both the House of Commons and the Senate.
- On June 17, The Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics tabled its study on Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek. Pornhub is facing intense scrutiny for hosting violent and often criminal videos, sparking debate on what extent the site – and other hosting platforms – should be regulated. Pornhub is currently being sued in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by victims whose explicit content was shared without consent.
- Controversy surrounding the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg continues to swirl after the House of Commons passed a privilege motion stating that the Public Health Agency of Canada was in contempt for not providing documents related to the institution to the law clerk. Minister Patty Hajdu has repeatedly stated that unredacted documents have been provided to the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, where Members have Top Secret security clearance to discuss the issue.
- Amidst ongoing pressure relating to the handling of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, the House of Commons passed a Conservative motion to censure the Minister of National Defence, Harjit Sajjan. Prime Minister Trudeau said that Minister Sajjan would not be fired, and called the move on behalf of the Conservatives “petty politics”. Earlier in the week, second-in-command Lt.-Gen Mike Rouleau resigned after playing golf with former Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance, who is under investigation for sexual misconduct.
- Members of Parliament who do not plan to run in the next election were able to give their farewell speeches to Parliament on June 15. Notably, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, Member of Parliament for Nunavut, called out Parliament for its “racist and colonial nature”, stating that she never felt like she belonged in the House and was racially profiled on the job.
- The Green Party of Canada Leader Annamie Paul defied calls for her resignation following the crossing of former Green MP Jenica Atwin to the Liberal Party. Paul suggested that disagreement about Atwin’s stance on Israel/Palestine were fabricated, and that the crossing was a premeditated Liberal Party attack. The Green Party may hold a confidence vote on Paul’s leadership in the next 30 days.
- Despite being the end of the spring session, Minister of Official Languages Melanie Joly tabled Bill C-32, An Act for the Substantive Equality of French and English and the Strengthening of the Official Languages Act. The bill sets out sweeping reforms to the Official Languages Act, mirroring parts of Quebec’s Bill 96 – including designating Quebec’s official language as French.
- Bill C-15, An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples passed 61 to 10 in the Senate, and is now awaiting Royal Assent to become law.
- The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is now recommending that Canadians who have received Astrazeneca vaccines as their first choice should receive an mRNA vaccine – either Pfizer or Moderna – as their second dose.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed Justice Mahmud Jamal to the Supreme Court. This is the first appointment of a person of colour to the Supreme Court in Canada’s history.
In the House
- As the House of Commons enters its final three days, the government has outlined its three priority bills:
- C-30, the Budget Implementation Act, which is at third reading debate today.
- C-12, regarding net-zero, which has finished study in committee and is waiting to be debated at Third Reading in the House of Commons.
- C-6, regarding banning conversion therapy, which has finished study in committee and is waiting to be debated at Third Reading in the House of Commons.
- The Speaker of the House of Commons ruled last week that several amendments to Bill C-10 in the Canadian Heritage Committee were null and void. This sets the progress of the bill back, making it unlikely to pass this session.
- Like much of the session, the past week has been marked by filibustering on all sides of the aisle, limiting the legislation expected to pass this session. As the potential for a fall election seems all but certain, the government’s effectiveness may be called into question by the opposition this summer.
In the Senate
- The committee report for Bill S-203, An Act to restrict young persons’ online access to sexually explicit material, will be tabled today.
Committee Business
- The Standing Committee on National Resources will meet today to continue discussion on Low Carbon and Renewable Fuels Industry in Canada.
- The Special Committee on Canada-China Relations will meet today. New Brunswick Minister Dominic Cardy will be a witness. As Minister of Education, Cardy started an initiative to remove all Confucius Institute programs from New Brunswick schools. There is growing concern around China’s ties to Canadian educational institutions, prompting measures such as Alberta’s decision to have its universities cease partnerships with China.
- The Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology will meet tomorrow to discuss Bill C-272, An Act to amend the Copyright Act.
- The Standing Committee on Official Languages will meet tomorrow to continue its discussion on Federal Support for French-language or Bilingual Post-Secondary Institutions in a Minority Setting.
#ONPoli
- Premier Doug Ford initiated a cabinet shuffle on June 18. Minister Merilee Fullerton, previously Minister of Long Term Care, is being replaced by Rod Phillips, who was forced to resign from cabinet after travelling to St. Barts last year. Minister Fullerton is moving to the Children and Youth and Community Services portfolio. New ministers include Stan Cho, Parm Gill, David Piccini, Khaleed Rasheed, Prabmet Sarkaria, and Nina Tangri. Ernie Hardeman, Laurie Scott, John Yakabuski and Jeff Yurek will not return to cabinet.
- The Progressive Conservative Party was able to pass its election spending bill, Bill 307, after invoking the Constitutional “notwithstanding clause”. This is the first time that the Ontario government has used the clause, which critics have said is a move to limit free speech among Ford’s critics.
- Chief Medical Officer of Health David Williams said that despite Ontario meeting the threshold to move into Step 2 of the province’s reopening plan, the province may only do so a few days earlier than its July 2 target.
#QCPoli
- Minister Simon Jolie-Barette responded to the federal tabling of Bill C-32 on French language, warning that the language of Bill 96 would take precedence in Quebec.
- Much of Quebec, including Montreal, has moved into the yellow zone, which allows for indoor private gatherings, indoor dining, and the reopening of gyms, spas, and theatres.
- The Quebec National Assembly adjourned on June 11, and is set to return on September 14.
#ABPoli
- Alberta will be the first Canadian province to drop all COVID-19 restrictions on July 1st. Premier Jason Kenney shared on June 18 that 70% of all Albertans have received their first dose, allowing the province to remove restrictions in two weeks.
- The Government of Alberta introduced a vaccine lottery last week, incentivizing Albertans to get vaccinated for a chance of winning one of three $1M prizes, as well as luxury travel packages.
- The Alberta Legislature wrapped its spring sitting on June 17th. It is being reported that the United Conservative Party is set to prorogue the sitting in the fall to trigger a Throne Speech and start with new legislative priorities.
- This fall’s referendum on equalization continues to cause buzz, which is set to coincide with municipal elections this upcoming October.
#BCPoli
- The Victoria City Council has voted to not recognize July 1 as Canada Day in recognition of Canada’s role in colonialism. Instead, the City plans to promote programming aimed at teaching Canadian history in consultation with the Lekwungen people.
- The Government of British Columbia has lifted its ban on recreational travel, allowing intercommunal travel across the province.
- A coalition of British Columbia mayors have signed a letter of support for the City of Vancouver’s petition to the Public Health Agency of Canada to decriminalize drug possession in small quantities. The province continues to struggle with the ongoing opioid crisis.
#ATLPoli
New Brunswick has opened travel to Canadians outside of the Atlantic Bubble as of last week, meaning that travellers do not need to quarantine or test negative for COVID-19 upon entry. Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin said in a press conference that he had not been made aware of the move until it was announced, complicating the regional approach to the Atlantic Bubble.