Buckle up, Interpreters: It’s Go Time

Parliament is set to heat up as the government works overtime to push its legislative agenda through the House and Senate. This includes the all-important first budget implementation act (BIA1). While the government has solidified support from the NDP on this and other spring legislative goals, it will still need to deal with delay tactics from the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois. Liberals have already started to put the necessary tools in place by introducing and passing Motion 11 to extend sittings to midnight with the approval of only one other party. The government also gave notice that they will move to limit debate today on BIA1. In this parliamentary game of chess, the Liberals may have made a pretty smart move with Motion 11. The midnights sittings will allow the government to keep legislation moving through the House without the negative perception of limiting democratic debate through repeated time allocation motions. 

Conservatives criticized Motion 11, saying it would put a strain on House of Commons staff and would result in committee cancellations. Conservative House Leader John Brassard also complained that the motion would allow the government to abruptly adjourn the House early for the summer, which the Liberals have assured the House they have no intent to do.

Why not just limit debate?

Putting Motion 11 in place gives the government another option if the Conservatives or BQ try to push off votes on key bills by running out the clock. Trudeau’s government has relied on time allocation heavily in the past to get its agenda implemented in the spring. This time we’re seeing a different approach, with NDP support crucial for the government’s agenda and the progressive party likely reluctant to support the government on successive time allocation or closure motions. 

With motion 11, the government can claim it did indeed provide time for exhaustive debate in the Chamber even if it does limit the number of sitting days on a bill. And, the NDP can say it wasn’t complicit in limiting debate or rubber stamping the government’s agenda because of the extra time provided – even when it does support motions that would limit the number of days of debate on a given bill.

Use and (potential) abuse

The government said it’s planning for only limited use of midnight sittings and to provide ample notice of late-sitting days. Conservatives are right, however, that the motion does allow for much more frequent use, which could become more tempting for the Liberals as summer approaches. 

To the government’s credit, we saw some evidence late last week of how it intends to use its new powers to extend debate. Government House Leader Mark Holland said the House would sit until midnight on Wednesday to allow for extra debate on Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act. That shows 1) that the government is providing ample notice of late sittings and 2) that it isn’t calling for late sittings at every opportunity. 

It remains to be seen whether that trend will continue as the political vitriol heats up and the clock winds down.