MPS set to tackle revamped agenda
Economic picture, Mali part of reset
MPs will return to their seats in the House of Commons Monday to find that the political ground beneath their feet has shifted in the six weeks they were absent.
When they last gathered in the chamber on Dec. 12, the hot topics were whether the Chinese should be allowed to buy into Canada’s oilpatch, and whether the Conservative government had bungled a multi-billion-dollar plan to purchase F-35 fighter jets.
On that day, an aboriginal chief named Theresa Spence camped out on an Ottawa River island near Parliament Hill, was just a couple of days into her liquid-only diet and was only beginning to draw attention to her campaign for First Nations demands.
Half a world away in littleknown Mali, the actions of Islamist radicals were about to spark an international military reaction and threaten to pull Canada into the vortex.
And although the economic recovery seemed fragile, few could anticipate that the Bank of Canada would soon declare that the economy wouldn’t be back on stream until later than expected — the second half of 2014.
For Prime Minister Stephen Harper — approaching the midterm of his majority mandate — the new political dynamics could force a readjustment of priorities and demand some skilful political manoeuvring. As MPs spill into the Commons chamber on Monday, some key questions will be at the forefront: ❚ Will the Conservative government, confronted by an angry and revitalized community of First Nations peoples, take dramatic action on the aboriginal issue?
❚ As the economy wanes, will Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s budget contain further spending cuts beyond last year’s fiscal blueprint as part of a political plan to eliminate the deficit by the next election, in 2015?
❚ Will Canada’s imminent signing of a controversial free-trade deal with Europe spark complaints that Harper has given up too much?
❚ How far will Canada go to help France and other nations in their assault against Islamist rebels in Mali? (Use of a Canadian C-17 transport plane to transport French troops has been extended to mid-February, and a Commons committee will hold public hearings next week to review further actions.)
❚ Has Harper’s cabinet wandered into dangerous territory with more ethical lapses, such as Flaherty’s letter to the CRTC lobbying for a company in his riding? (He was recently reprimanded by the ethics commissioner and the opposition will press Harper on why his finance minister is still in cabinet).
❚ Will the NDP, which formed the Opposition two years ago, secure that status with a credible performance that makes it a government-in-waiting for voters who want to turf the Tories in 2015?
❚ Will the once-mighty Liberals, who have steadily lost seats in all four elections since 2004 and are now in third place, get their mojo back with the election of a new leader in April?
Spokesmen for the three main parties offered their assessments.
Government House Leader Peter Van Loan said the Tories are determined to stay focused on the issue that matters most to Canadians.
“The economy will continue to be top of mind and the most important priority. Jobs, growth and long-term economic prosperity.”
Van Loan said he doesn’t expect the legislative agenda on aboriginal issues to change “a great deal.”
But opposition parties say aboriginal issues must be centre stage. “Aboriginal affairs has to be on everybody’s priority list for the spring,” said NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.
“The solutions are there. The longer we wait, the harder it is. With demographics on reserves, young people are increasingly frustrated.”
He accused the government of poor economic management and of sitting idly by while most Canadians see their personal finances slip back while large corporations “sit on loads of cash.”
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae expressed a similar concern, saying many Canadians have “fallen behind and are not exactly included in the front row of the recovery.”
“I still find that there is a cocoon of complacency that surrounds this government. It looks at the rest of the world and says we’re doing better. All you can say is, the best is still not very good.”