House deadlocked over $27B aid package
Deal falls apart amid claims of ‘power grab’
The Liberals’ $27-billion COVID-19 aid package bill was struggling to pass Tuesday after the opposition accused the government of a “power grab” by including provisions that would give it far-reaching financial powers.
The government had planned for the bill to be debated in the afternoon, passed swiftly and then sent to the Senate on Wednesday so the whole package could become law.
But the opposition accused the government of planting measures that gave it vast spending authority with a lack of parliamentary oversight. Both sides were locked in negotiations for most of the day with the opposition demanded the measures be stripped from the bill and the aid package be passed as agreed.
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said that, even in a crisis, Parliament should be involved in the government’s spending plans.
“We should not be so quick to sideline the role of Parliament about how money is raised and spent in this country,” he said on CBC.
One provision would have allowed the finance minister to increase or reduce taxes without Parliament’s approval. Although that clause was removed following an outcry, the opposition also opposed other measures.
In a written statement, Scheer said there were several “undemocratic” aspects of the bill. “Removing one does not solve the problem,” he said. “Our hope is that (the government) will stay focused on providing to Canadians, not focused on a power grab. Not focused on giving themselves unprecedented new powers.”
As of press time, the bill did not have the unanimous consent it needs to move through the House of Commons. If the government forced the issue to a vote instead of relying on unanimous consent, it could take days to work through the process, which would ultimately delay the changes the government promised.
The Liberals proposed their massive aid package last week, which boosts GST rebate payments and child benefit cheques, offers to supplement wages for small businesses, and opens up employment insurance, all in an attempt to ensure that, should the economy go into a tailspin, Canadians would still have the money to pay rent and get groceries.
The bill also included another $55 billion in tax deferrals and other measures.
Scheer said his party was fully prepared to pass the measures the government announced last week immediately, and then move on to the other tools the government is seeking.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh called on the Liberals to split the bill in essence, giving the spending measures a quick passage while debating the other steps later.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier in the day he was prepared to work with the opposition parties, but that the government needed flexibility to work with a fast-moving situation.
“We recognize this pandemic is moving extremely quickly and it’s an extraordinary situation that requires extreme flexibility from the government,” Trudeau said. “We have a Parliament that works and an opposition that does its job, so that’s why we’ve been working on drafting legislation with the opposition, to get that flexibility to get the money out the door while preserving our democratic institutions.”
Bloc Québécois leader Yves-françois Blanchet said the bill should pass as is, saying his party pushed back on some of the details in the bill, but they came to an agreement and the government was willing to bend.
“It was strong, but it was successful,” he said. “I hope any other negotiations that are going on would have the same result.” Blanchet said the government should force the issues and put it to a vote, whether they had unanimous support or not.
Conservative MP Scott Reid also offered another possible wrinkle in the bill’s passage, because he said he would not give unanimous consent to the bill, even if the rest of his party was prepared to do so.
Reid said he was concerned the bill represented overreach on behalf of government, and failed to respect parliamentarians.
Under a deal, all parties agreed there were to be only 32 MPS in the chamber, representing the same proportions they have in the house. The deal was meant to limit potential exposure to COVID-19, while still keeping a functioning Parliament. Reid was not originally going to be one of the MPS invited to the sitting, but showed up against the wishes of party leadership.
The House of Commons has only been recalled during an adjournment like this 12 times in its history.
Most of the MPS were able to drive to the House of Commons from their ridings, while Scheer and Conservative House Leader Candice Bergen were brought by government aircraft to avoid potential exposure to the virus.
Green MP Jenica Atwin, the party’s closest member to Ottawa, drove 10 hours from her riding in New Brunswick to be at the sitting and was planning to drive back as soon as the votes were held.
All of the MPS practised social distancing in the chamber, standing a few desks away from each other to avoid spreading the virus.
The Speaker’s parade went off with a little less pomp and circumstance, with just one protective services officer marching alongside the Mace. The pages were sent home.
The House voted late Tuesday to extend sitting hours, giving them the option of passing legislation late in the evening, but the chamber could also resume Wednesday.
WE SHOULD NOT BE SO QUICK TO SIDELINE THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENT