Filibuster pushing for procedure changes delayed

OTTAWA — A group of MPs were just settling in for what they thought would be another marathon meeting over the ins and outs of parliamentary procedures, some wondering whether this would be another long night calling for pizza and caffeine. Then suddenly it was over — for now. Tories and New Democrats started a protest at the procedures committee last month, speaking for hours over four days, trying to prevent the Liberals from passing a motion that would impose a deadline on their study of proposed changes to the way the House of Commons conducts business.

The opposition filibuster was set to start up again Monday at noon, likely with bluster and bombast from NDP MP David Christopherson, who was raring to go as he spoke to reporters before the meeting began. But then Liberal MP Larry Bagnell, the committee chair, suspended the meeting to allow for more negotiations behind the scenes.

They are scheduled to meet again Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The word was that Opposition House Leader Candice Bergen and NDP House Leader Murray Rankin had headed into a meeting Monday morning with Government House Leader Bardish Chagger, whose discussion paper on suggestions for legislative reform had started this contentious ball rolling in the first place.

That discussion paper proposes changes the Liberals argue are meant to modernize the House of Commons, making it more efficient and relevant. The ideas include doing away with sparsely attended Friday sittings, or making Fridays like any other day of the week, with the same hours and business to be done.

Other suggestions include allowing electronic voting, scheduling a specific amount of time to debate government bills and creating a special question period one day a week for the prime minister to be the one answering all the questions, as is done in Britain. Opposition MPs are taking issue with both the suggested changes, which they argue will take away some of what little power remains to opposition MPs, and the way the Liberals have been trying to implement them.