Election call could come as soon as Monday

If you follow the rumours out of Ottawa, it has been reported, as early as Monday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will request our new governor general, Mary Simon, dissolve Parliament and call an election.

If that were the case, this would be my final MP report until after the election.

Will there be an election? From my perspective, I believe public safety must come first.

As many regions of Canada are reporting an increase in COVID outbreaks related to the Delta variant, an election call would carry serious risk for a sitting prime minister, even in a minority Parliament.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wrote to the governor general to ask that a request to grant an election from the prime minister not be granted.

Singh further pointed out that the minority Liberal government has never once failed a confidence vote in the House of Commons that would trigger an election.

Trudeau has argued that both the Conservative and NDP opposition parties have routinely obstructed passage of his government’s priority bills whenever asked by media if he will ask for an election.

From a factual point of view, it should be noted when the prime minister prorogued Parliament last summer, he did far more damage in delaying his government bills than any opposition party could possibly do.

It should also be noted the NDP made offers to fast track and prioritize certain Liberal government bills and the prime minister refused these gestures.

In short, Trudeau’s argument is factually incorrect and unfair to the NDP.

It is true that the Conservative opposition has fought strongly against some of the Liberal government “priority bills.”

One example of a Liberal government “priority bill” is Bill C-10, which has been panned by many critics as an internet censorship bill under the guise of a broadcast modernization.

Canada’s foremost law professor, who also holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, has said Bill C-10 is a “shocking and likely unconstitutional speech regulation.”

Experts like Professor Michael Geist, as well as industry and civil liberties experts and stakeholders, have continued to strongly advocate against this bill being passed, arguing it is also an assault on long-standing Canadian internet policy, such as violating net neutrality.

In the House of Commons, only the Conservative Opposition as well as Independent MP JodyWilson Raybould have fought against this bill being passed. So, will there be an election? Certainly, if the prime minister believes an election campaign suits his best interests and the interests of the Liberal Party of Canada, I suspect we will see an election in the near future.

Do you want to see an election called in the immediate future?