Liberals, NDP maneuver to get fall economic statement to final vote
Global News
The government's five-month-old fall economic statement should finally pass the House of Commons Wednesday following some procedural manoeuvring by the Liberals and the NDP.
The government’s five-month-old fall economic statement should finally pass the House of Commons Wednesday following some procedural manoeuvring by the Liberals and the NDP.
The two parties, which signed a confidence and supply agreement in March to work together on key votes, voted in favour of a motion to push ahead with the final hours of debate on Bill C-8 Tuesday morning instead of the committee report on aquatic invasive species the Conservatives wanted to talk about.
That move came 12 hours after the Liberals and NDP also voted to pass a Liberal motion making it easier to push debate on legislation along in general.
Motion 11 gives the Liberals the ability to extend the sitting day until midnight for the rest of the spring. It passed Monday night with the Liberals and NDP voting in favour and the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois against.
Liberal Kevin Lamoureux, the parliamentary secretary to House Leader Mark Holland, said that motion is the reason C-8, which was introduced Dec. 14, can come to its final vote Wednesday.
The bill was debated for two hours until midnight Monday, and for the final five hours required Tuesday. It will be voted on after question period Wednesday before going to the Senate.
The bill includes three new tax credits that are delaying tax refunds for some teachers, farmers and small businesses because they can’t receive the credits for the 2021 tax year unless the bill becomes law. The credits are for teachers who buy classroom supplies, farmers to get money back from the carbon price and small businesses who invest in better ventilation.
Lamoureux insists the motion passed on Monday will only be used when another party agrees with the Liberals that a piece of legislation needs to move faster and says the Conservatives are actively trying to slow down the legislative process.