Parliament had a lively summer. It's about to get louder

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Parliament was strangely relevant this summer. But the past few months were merely a prelude to what could be one of the most consequential periods in Canadian politics in recent memory.

The weeks between when the House of Commons adjourns in June and when it reconvenes in September tend to be quiet around Parliament Hill, with only tourists and the odd committee hearing breaking the silence.

But from mid-July to early September this year, seven different committees of the House held a total of 21 meetings and hearings to study a half-dozen matters of real public concern — including allegations of political interference in the investigation of the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia, the federal government's decision to return a Russian turbine to Germany, the service outage that struck Rogers customers in July, and delays at Canada's airports.

The Heritage committee took up concerns about Hockey Canada's handling of sexual misconduct; those hearings likely were among the most-watched parliamentary proceedings in recent years. In August, the justice committee met to hear from Michelle O'Bonsawin, the first Indigenous justice in the history of the Supreme Court.

The extent of that parliamentary scrutiny over the summer somewhat undercuts initial fears that the confidence-and-supply agreement between the Liberals and New Democrats would mean much less accountability for the government. The Hockey Canada hearings also showed what can happen when MPs apply the powers of Parliament to a shared concern.

Even more extraordinary, the parliamentary summer has now concluded with a special two-day sitting to mark the death of Canada's head of state. The last time Parliament had to respond to such an event, Louis St. Laurent was prime minister and George Drew was leader of the Opposition. And the passing of Queen Elizabeth inspired not only gracious tributes to the woman herself but reflections on the parliamentary system predicated on her office.

WATCH: Trudeau, members of Parliament pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth

"Around the globe, democratic institutions are being challenged, but Canadians can rightly be proud of living in one of the strongest democracies in the world." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House on Thursday.

"It is this very strength and stability, represented by the Crown and embodied by the Queen, that Canadians have always benefited from, and we, as parliamentarians and Canadians, dedicate ourselves each and every day to those democratic principles."

Pierre Poilievre, the new leader of His Majesty's loyal opposition, said that Elizabeth's "humility reminded us that government is not about us. It is about those we serve. We are, indeed, servants and not masters."

There was a sense in those speeches of two leaders eyeing each other across the aisle before the main event begins.

The Liberal and Conservative parties may now be more ideologically distinct from each other than they have ever been. And they're being led by two of the most interesting characters in recent Canadian political history — with all due respect to Stephane Dion, Andrew Scheer and the other leaders who have come and gone over the past two decades.

Poilievre and Trudeau are individuals with fundamentally different visions and they will be seated across from each other, in the two most important seats in the House, at a uniquely challenging moment for this country and the world.