Hitting the Ground Running | Your Look Ahead from Summa Strategies

New this Week

  • Late last week, the anticipated bill to ban the practice of conversion therapy in Canada was added to the Notice Paper and is expected to be introduced later this afternoon in the House of Commons.
  • On Friday, the Liberal government introduced legislation that would mandate 10 days of paid sick leave for federally regulated workers. The bill also amends Canada’s Criminal Code, introducing penalties for those who obstruct access to health care services and harass health care workers. 
  • On Thursday, the Liberals and NDP jointly passed a motion to resume a hybrid format in the House of Commons. A hybrid model will extend the option of virtual participation to all MPs and will remain in place until the House adjourns for the summer. The final vote count was tallied at 180-140 in favour of the motion, passing despite significant opposition from the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois. 
  • On Friday, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos instituted a travel ban on all foreign nationals who have travelled through southern Africa in the past fourteen days. The region has been adversely affected by a new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, which the World Health Organization has recently designated as a variant of concern. 

In the House 

  • In the House of Commons on Thursday, the government indicated that Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week will be dedicated towards the Address in Reply to the Speech to the Throne. The House of Commons can spend up to six days debating the Address in Reply, prior to the confidence vote.  
  • General Wayne Eyre was appointed the permanent commander of Canada’s Armed Forces, on Thursday. Gen. Eyre had originally been appointed as acting Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), following Admiral Art McDonald’s resignation.
  • Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland introduced Bill C-2, on November 24th. The bill would renew targeted COVID-19 support measures for employers, businesses, and workers, until May 7, 2022. The debate on this bill will be occurring on Monday, the 29th of November. 
    • NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has intimated that his party will vote against Bill C-2, as it currently stands. Singh stated that his party will not support a bill that reduces help to workers, and does not reverse the benefit cuts to low-income seniors who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. 


ICYMI

  • Southern British Columbia was hit with continued heavy rainfall this week. The majority of the Lower Mainland was placed under flood watch. On Wednesday night, the House of Commons held an emergency debate on the situation in the province, and government inaction on climate change. On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelled to British Columbia to meet with BC Premier John Horgan and to discuss joint federal-provincial emergency response efforts. 
  • The Green Party named Amita Kuttner as its new interim leader on Wednesday. Kuttner breaks barriers along multiple dimensions: they are the youngest, the first transgender, and the first politician of East-Asian descent to lead a national party. Kuttner founded the Moonlight Institute, an ecological think-tank, and is an astrophysicist. 
  • Governor General Mary May Simon recited the Liberal government’s priorities for the upcoming session, in Tuesday’s Speech from the Throne. In the address, the Liberal government grouped its priorities under seven overarching themes: health, re-building the strength of the economy, climate action, community safety, diversity and inclusion, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, and strategic multilateralism. 
    • Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole stated that his party will oppose the Speech from the Throne. Conservative criticism of the government’s priorities has coalesced around Canada’s rising inflation rate. Leader Erin O’Toole alleged that “there is nothing in the throne speech that deals with inflation, the cost-of-living crisis, the national unity crisis.” 
    • Following Tuesday’s Speech from the Throne, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh denounced the Liberal government for its insufficient attention to climate change, affordable housing, tax fairness, and pharmacare. Regarding the possibility of NDP support for the Speech from the Throne, Singh hedged that “we don’t want the Liberal government to think that our support can be taken for granted.”
    • Blanchet condemned the Speech from the Throne for its opacity on increasing federal health transfers to Quebec. Regarding BQ support for the speech, he suggested that the Bloc will “live with this empty piece of paper, gently read in three languages.”
  • Liberal MP Anthony Rota was re-elected Speaker of the House of Commons on Monday, November 23rd. Despite competition from six other candidates on a ranked ballot, which included Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Rota had been widely favoured to secure the parliamentary role.

Provincial Updates

#BCpoli

  • On Wednesday, November 24, Labour Minister Harry Bains announced that provincially regulated workers will be eligible for five days of annual paid sick leave, starting January 1st, 2021. The B.C. Liberals argued the policy will place an undue burden on businesses, while the Greens criticized its failure to match the international precedents set by New Zealand and Australia—both of which have legislated 10 days of paid sick leave. 

#ONpoli

  • On Wednesday, Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton and Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced an investment of $1.5 billion, over the next four years, to encourage youth to enter the skilled trades and to prevent a projected labour shortage. Targeted youth initiatives include career fairs, an annual advertising campaign, new bursaries, and providing high school guidance counselors with expertise on trade occupational pathways. 
  • On Friday, Premier Doug Ford directed his concerns to the federal government over a new variant causing a spike in COVID-19 transmission in southern Africa. The Premier requested that the Government of Canada “follow other governments by immediately banning all flights and passengers from countries of concern,” and reintroducing point-of-arrival testing for all incoming travellers, “regardless of where they are coming from.”

#ABpoli

  • A coalition of environmental groups, which includes Environmental Defence Canada and Greenpeace Canada, are threatening to sue Premier Jason Kenney for defamation. The groups took issue with Kenney’s allegations that they misinformed the public vis-à-vis Alberta’s oil and gas industry. The coalition threatened to file a statement of claim against the Premier if he does not retract and apologize for his remarks before the end of this week.

#ATLpoli

  • On Monday, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Parliament Hill. Premier Houston clarified that he is requesting federal funding to assist in building the Atlantic Loop electricity grid and in implementing a $70-million-dollar mental health pilot project. Prime Minister Trudeau has not made any commitments regarding the allocation of federal funding for these projects.