Push for House reform fuels ‘toxic atmosphere’
Parliamentary procedure doesn’t usually make a lot of headlines.
But this year, a set of possible changes to House rules has provided some of the best drama on Parliament Hill.
There was the time Conservative MP Scott Reid accused the Liberals of trying to “ram through whatever the f--k they want.” There was the other time he yelled “This is bulls--t!” at the end of a committee meeting.
But the dispute over parliamentary reform is also bogging down House affairs perhaps more than any other issue this year.
The matter revolves around a set of proposed changes, including time limits on speeches and the scrapping of Friday sittings, that came before the Procedure and House Affairs Committee in March.
Opposition MPs believe the government wants to unilaterally change the rules to suit itself. They want any such decisions to be made with the consent of all parties, per convention.
The logjam began in committee, where the opposition filibustered late into the night for days.
But it quickly spilled over into the House, where the opposition has done everything it can to gum up day-to-day business in protest.
On March 22, the release of the federal budget was delayed 25 minutes by opposition tactics. But that was only the beginning.
That day, two Conservative MPs claimed they’d missed a vote because they were barred by security from entering the House.
That breach of their voting privileges then spiralled into a debate that jammed up House proceedings for days, sometimes dragging on for hours at a time.
The discussion quickly became a vehicle for the opposition to voice its displeasure about the changes to House rules.
“It was clear that we were going to use every tool available,” said Conservative House leader Candice Bergen.
NDP House leader Murray Rankin said the voting question might have played out differently if the Liberals hadn’t “poisoned the well” over House rules.
“This could have been handled very quickly in another government,” he said.
Government House leader Bardish Chagger said the government’s intention “has always been to have a wellfunctioning House of Commons where members from all sides of the House can work together in the best interest of Canadians.”
Last week, Chagger finally announced the Liberals were backing down on a number of their proposed changes, including proposals to limit MPs’ speeches in committees to 10 minutes and to eliminate Friday sittings.
But they still plan to table and vote on a motion before the summer that would include several changes, including having the prime minister answer all questions during one question period each week.
And so the protest tactics and delays seem unlikely to stop.