Barrie MPs bluntly say they are furious with the prime minister’s decision to prorogue Parliament.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had asked to have Parliament put on hold until Sept. 23. Trudeau said his plan was for the Liberal government to return that fall day with a Throne Speech outlining the next steps for COVID-19 recovery.
The move has received opposition from many, including Barrie-Innisfil MP John Brassard. The second-term Conservative MP believes the prime minister is stalling to “brush under the carpet” how the Liberal government decided to have the WE organization administer the Canada Student Service Grant.
Prorogation puts a temporary end to the four committees that have spent the summer probing how the charity with close connections to Trudeau's family was chosen to oversee a multi-million-dollar program to encourage students to volunteer in pandemic-related community service.
“What Trudeau is clearly trying to do is to obstruct the ability of parliamentary committees to dig deeper into the corruption and the scandal that is going on,” Brassard told BarrieToday. “This is also an outright lie from what Trudeau promised during his Liberal election platform in 2015, when he said he would never prorogue Parliament to avoid controversy or accountability.
"He has said it on multiple occasions since and this is exactly what he is doing," Brassard added.
Brassard said Wednesday was the day the ethics committee was to receive documentation on how many times the prime minister’s family may have been paid by not just WE, but by any organizations that may have benefited from government programs.
That can’t happen with Parliament prorogued.
Some have compared Trudeau’s move this week to the 2008 act by then-prime minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party.
Brassard, who was not a member of Harper’s government, pointed out the differences in the two situations, from his perspective.
“That was shortly after the election and there was an unholy alliance between the Liberals, the NDP and the Bloc-Quebecois, who were looking to take down the government," said the local MP. "Rather than face a confidence vote right after an election, when Canadians didn't want to go back to the polls, Harper prorogued for six weeks so there was some room for negotiation with the other parties."
But Brassard says the circumstances are different now.
“We’re at the height of a pandemic," he said. "There are government programs that have yet to be announced and the transition to the CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit), which is expected to end in a couple of weeks. There are no opportunities now for Parliament to pass legislation or any funding requirements until we go back on Sept. 23.
“There are no other legislatures across the world that are doing this and Trudeau is effectively turning his back on Canadians to politically save his skin," Brassard added.
On Monday night, Finance Minister Bill Morneau stepped down from his post, saying he was looking to become a candidate to be the next secretary general of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Morneau and Trudeau are both facing investigations by the federal ethics committee.
Dr. Michael Johns, an associate professor in the political science department at Laurentian University, told BarrieToday that proroguing of parliament happens often, especially when a government has done all it can and if politicians need a new Throne Speech.
While the Liberal Party says the reason is to restart due to the pandemic and the Conservative Party says it is to avoid scandal, Johns believes both can be correct in their interpretation.
“I think they (the Trudeau government) have a small argument in that what they outlined in the Throne Speech is no longer relevant due to the impact of COVID-19,” said Johns. “Now, the timing of that at this particular moment — while we just had the minister of finance resign, there were ongoing parliamentary committees that were looking into the relationship of the WE charities and the government — it can be seen as having political reasoning.”
While it depends on where your political allegiances are, Johns says it is clear to him why proroguing happened at this time.
“I think it's pretty obvious there is a political tinge to this and that the government needs a reset," he said. "If you’re the federal government, you probably don’t want to have to answer questions right now. So they have used the proroguing as a convenient tool that likely accomplishes both the necessary function of resetting in a world of COVID and also in serving their secondary purpose.”
Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MP Doug Shipley, also a Conservative in his first term, told BarrieToday he was disappointed by the proroguing of Parliament, adding many people are worried about the country’s financial future.
But he also has his own concerns from a personal point of view in how he represents his constituents.
“I’m very frustrated, because I took this job in November and campaigned hard and long and told folks I would work hard for them," he said. "I feel like I got the job and we can’t sit in the House (of Commons). We’re still doing our constituency duty and trying to take care of people, but the country needs Parliament to be sitting right now.
"Proroguing is extremely unfortunate," he added.
With Parliament set to reconvene on Sept. 23, Johns says the federal government isn't out of the woods yet for avoiding questions, but is likely hoping the spotlight shifts.
“When they restart, there will be a budget, a Throne Speech, all of those things that take up time,” Johns said. “There could be a hope here that there is a reset to the messaging in the press and in people’s minds. But absolutely, the committees' investigations can easily be brought back and may very well be.”
