Commons deadlock could trigger government cash crunch, get in the way of other House deadlines

An ongoing debate in the House of Commons could push some government departments into a cash crunch and run up against other deadlines as the end of the fall sitting approaches.

On Thursday, Speaker Greg Fergus made a point of reminding MPs that House rules state certain business needs to be addressed in the coming weeks. He urged the parties to find a way to deal with those items despite the debate gridlock.

The House standing orders say that the both the government's supplementary estimates — part of the legislative process for asking Parliament for more money to cover initiatives that haven't already been funded, or require additional funding — and all opposition days (which allow opposition parties to put forward their own motions) must be dealt with by Dec. 10.

"As we get closer to the end of the current supply period, the chair wishes to encourage the House leaders to keep these various principles in mind. I am confident that they can find ways to reconcile these important responsibilities," Fergus said.

The House has been unable to move forward with regular business for weeks as opposition MPs have pushed the Liberal government to release documents related to a now-defunct foundation responsible for doling out hundreds of millions of federal dollars for green technology projects.

It's not clear when or how the issue will be resolved, but because the matter is considered a question of privilege, it takes precedence over all other House business — including items that fall under the Dec. 10 deadline.

Peter Van Loan, a former government House leader in the Stephen Harper government, said the supplementary estimates may not be passed by the deadline because of House conventions.

"The long-term traditions of Parliament say that grievances come before supply," he said.

The Liberals tabled the supplementary estimates on Monday. They include $21.6 billion in spending that needs Parliament's approval. That includes funds for Indigenous health and education services, defence, veteran supports, the new national dental program and refugee health-care services.

Treasury Board President Anita Anand said Tuesday if the estimates don't pass before the House rises for its six-week winter break, some government departments might be headed for a cash shortfall.

"We are OK for the next three to four weeks, but we need to make sure that money flows to those smaller departments and then ultimately the larger departments, which also fuel so much of the government's and the country's business," Anand told reporters.

Van Loan said if the funding is not approved in the next few weeks, it won't lead to the sort of government shutdown crisis the U.S. has grappled with in recent years. But it would force some departments to stretch their budgets.

"Cash management is fairly normal," he said.

"You find ways to find those funds elsewhere in existing approved budgets.… So right now there are probably bureaucrats scrambling around saying, 'OK, what programs haven't we spent money on, or what spending that we were going to do in the next three months might you simply leave for another six months?'"