Liberals considering proroguing Parliament amid document impasse? Freeland says 'no'
CTV
The minority Liberal government is not considering proroguing Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday, despite persisting uncertainty over who is willing to keep propping them up and procedural wrangling over a Conservative led-privilege debate.
The minority Liberal government is not considering proroguing Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday, despite persisting uncertainty over who is willing to keep propping them up and procedural wrangling over a Conservative led-privilege debate.
Asked about the chatter and if the prime minister was mulling ending this session of Parliament and resetting with a throne speech, Freeland said "no."
Work in the House of Commons has stalled now for eight straight sitting days, as MPs are seized with a priority discussion about their work being impeded by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government not turning over documents related to misspending by a now-defunct green technology fund.
In late September, House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus ruled the Liberals did not fully comply with a House order seeking materials related to a Sustainable Development Technology Canada program the Conservatives are calling a "green slush fund."
This opened up the ability for the Official Opposition to demand the Liberals hand over unredacted copies to the RCMP and advance a priority motion to – as the House Speaker suggested given the extraordinary circumstances – have the issue studied at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee.
Deliberations on the proposal take precedence over most other House business and have essentially seized the Commons since. As a result, the government hasn't been able to debate, let alone pass, key government legislation.
As of late Tuesday, there were no signs of the debate collapsing to allow the matter to come to a vote.
