Carney tells MPs to brace for 'very, very busy' few weeks as Parliament reopens

Prime Minister Mark Carney told his caucus to brace for a "very, very" busy few weeks and months as Parliament reopens, promising to implement his vision for the country with "urgency and determination." 

In an address to caucus — which media cameras were invited in to shoot — Carney teased that his Liberal minority government will introduce several pieces of legislation "about making life more affordable immediately," including the promised tax cut. 

Speaking in French, the prime minister also said his ministers will introduce legislation to fast-track infrastructure projects deemed to be in the national interest.

"We are going to be very, very busy in the next few weeks, but we are going to be very, very busy in the next few months," Carney told the room.

"We are going to be very, very busy in the next few years."

Carney has already made clear his top priorities include the negotiation of a new economic and security relationship with the United States, and strengthening ties with reliable trading allies while building up what he calls "one Canadian economy."

To that end, Carney has also promised to lower interprovincial trade barriers and bring in an income-tax cut by Canada Day. 

"In every one of our actions, we will be guided by a new fiscal discipline," he said in French.

Speaking with Rosemary Barton Live in an interview that aired Sunday morning, House Leader Steven MacKinnon said Carney's made it clear he wants to get things done at breakneck speed. 

"It's very refreshing," he said. "We're going to get at it." 

Leading up to caucus, there had been some speculation about whether Liberals would adopt the Reform Act, which would have given them more power to oust their newly-elected leader down the line.

However, newly elected caucus chair James Maloney told reporters it was voted down. The MP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore was tight-lipped about the discussions about the act, citing caucus confidentiality. 

Liberals have never used the decade-old law, but some MPs floated the idea of adopting it, pointing to the frustrations they felt when former prime minister Justin Trudeau ignored calls to resign for months last year.

Championed by Conservative MP Michael Chong, it's meant to provide more checks and balances between caucus and party leaders, including the ability to vote out an unpopular leader. The Conservatives used the act to push former leader Erin O'Toole out the door in 2022.