Latest news with #ParliamentofCanadaAct
Montreal Gazette
4 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Opinion: Reform Act snub bad for Liberals — and for democracy
Op Eds At a caucus meeting on Sunday afternoon, the Liberal Party of Canada opted not to adopt the Reform Act. Brought in as an amendment to the Parliament of Canada Act in 2014, the Reform Act allows MPs in a parliamentary group that hold official party status (holding 12 or more seats) to vote on a series of measures at the beginning of a parliamentary session regarding internal caucus management. If adopted, the measures last the duration of the session. The most notable of the measures involves the power to initiate a leadership review. The Conservative caucus used this part of the act to remove then-leader Erin O'Toole in 2022. Given the tumult that rocked the Liberals in the closing period of Justin Trudeau's reign, the party's decision not to adopt this provision is notable. Indeed, most agree that Trudeau only stayed in power throughout the byelection losses in Liberal strongholds and declining polls of 2024 because no formal mechanism existed to force his removal, despite growing discontent within the Liberal caucus. It took the extraordinary events of Dec. 16, 2024 to force the longtime Liberal leader to consider his position. On that morning, with the fall economic statement to be tabled, then-finance minister Chrystia Freeland published a bombshell resignation letter criticizing the 'costly political gimmicks' it contained. With no finance minister in situ and therefore no one in a position to deliver the important fiscal update, Ottawa fell into chaos and Trudeau scrambled to shore up his position. It was the beginning of the end for a leader who had lost the confidence not just of Freeland, his closest political confidante, but also his caucus, many of whom feared their re-election was unlikely with Trudeau in charge. Trudeau finally announced his resignation on Jan. 6. Thus began the process that led to Mark Carney becoming prime minister and the saviour of the Liberals' electoral fortunes. It seems now — with a successful election in the rear-view mirror, Parliament resuming and a raft of problems to get to grips with — the newly elected Liberal government has forgotten about one major driver of the party's near-death experience before the unexpected alchemy of Donald Trump, tariffs and Carney resuscitated it. In the aftermath of Trudeau's resignation, Freeland campaigned to replace him partially on a policy of mandatory leadership reviews. 'We can never again be in a position where the leader is the only person who decides who the leader is,' she told the National Post. Why then have Liberal MPs now declined the opportunity to adopt the power to review the position of the leader? The Liberal caucus has apparently grown accustomed to being dominated by a strong leader. More broadly, party discipline in Canada is arguably the most rigid among comparable parliamentary democracies. Despite the Conservatives' adoption and use of the Reform Act in the past, the party remains under tight discipline. One reason for this is fear that the diverse array of regional and ideological concerns that populate Canada's big-tent parties will spill over into a dissonant and incoherent message that may dilute or undermine the party's core brand. Party leaders exert huge influence over MPs, utilizing the carrot and stick of speaking time, committee positions and — on the government side — cabinet portfolios to compel unity. Although this drive toward party unity is understandable, when applied as it is in Canada, the result contributes to a profound democratic deficit. MPs are habitually whipped, and not just to vote in party blocks for or against legislation. Increasingly, overbearing conformity of political communication dominates individual members' capacity to authentically advocate on behalf of their constituents both inside and outside the House of Commons. This serves to undermine the democratic mandate received by each MP by virtue of winning their riding. Politics remains the greasy pole described by the 19th century British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli — hard to get to the top, and all too easy to plummet back down. Party leaders ought not be facilitated in using this fact to excessively control their parliamentary caucuses. The Liberal party recently learned what can happen when a sitting PM views the caucus as subject to his pleasure, rather than his position being tenable only based on his maintenance of their confidence. It is a shame that they have opted to forget this lesson.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newsroom Ready: NDP request for official party status denied
Liberal House leader Steven Mackinnon says the Parliament of Canada Act requires a party to have 12 seats to be granted official party status and that requirement won't be waived for the NDP, which only won seven seats in the last election. Interim NDP Leader Don Davies says even with only seven seats the party holds the balance of power in the minority Parliament and should have the tools it needs to fulfil that function.(May 26, 2025)
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
CP NewsAlert: NDP will not be granted official party status: MacKinnon
OTTAWA – Government House leader Steven MacKinnon says the NDP will not be granted official party status because the Parliament of Canada Act says a party needs at least 12 seats to be recognized. The NDP was reduced to just seven seats in last month's election. More coming.
CBC
05-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Conservative Damien Kurek says he'll step aside for Poilievre — but by law he has to wait
Social Sharing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has already taken a trip out to the Alberta riding he hopes to represent, after losing the Ottawa-area seat he held for more than two decades in last week's general election. On Friday, Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek announced he'll step aside so Poilievre can run in the riding, considered one of the safest Conservative seats in the country. But Poilievre will have to wait at least 30 days for that to happen, and likely more. According to the Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons, Members of Parliament can't resign their seat until 30 days after their election result is published in the Canada Gazette, the federal government's official publication. After the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, it took about a month before the chief electoral officer's validated results were published in gazette. CBC News has asked Elections Canada when it expects to publish results this time around. The Parliament of Canada Act sets out when a member can and can't resign. Olivier Duhaime, spokesperson for the Speaker's office, said the 30-day window is enshrined in the Canada Elections Act and "linked to the contestation period of an election." "After this period, a member may submit their resignation unless their election is being contested," he said in a statement to CBC News. Once Kurek is in the clear to resign, it's the Speaker who informs the chief electoral officer that a seat is vacant. The Governor General, on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet, then sets the date for the byelection. A byelection can be called between 11 and 180 days after an MP resigns. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday he won't go the long route. "I will ensure that it happens as soon as possible. No games, nothing," he told reporters at a news conference. That could mean Poilievre will be back to leading the Opposition and facing off against the prime minister at some point during the fall sitting. Kurek first won the seat of Battle River-Crowfoot in 2019 and was re-elected last week with almost 82 per cent of the vote. In his statement Friday, Kurek said he plans to run in Battle River-Crowfoot again in the next general election "An unstoppable movement has grown under [Poilievre's] leadership, and I know we need Pierre fighting in the House of Commons to hold the Liberal minority government to account," he said. Poilievre lost his seat of Carleton to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy by more than 4,000 votes, leaving the Conservatives without its leader in the House of Commons. Poilievre, originally from Calgary, called Kurek's move "selfless." Other MPs who stepped aside were rewarded The Conservative leader posted photos from the riding on Monday, where he met with Kurek's family and team. In an accompanying video, Poilievre addressed Monday's results for the the first time since his concession speech, acknowledging "it didn't go how we wanted." "But when you get knocked down, you get up and get going," he said to the camera. There's some precedent of MPs stepping aside for their party leaders. After winning the 1983 Progressive Conservative leadership, Brian Mulroney was on the hunt for a seat. Nova Scotia MP Elmer MacKay, father of former Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay, resigned his Central Nova seat and Mulroney was able to lead the Opposition. WATCH | Opposition parties are holding meetings to discuss their futures: Conservatives, NDP work on their paths forward before Parliament's return | Power & Politics 11 minutes ago Duration 19:19 Conservative caucus members will gather Tuesday for their first-post election meeting since party leader Pierre Poilievre lost his seat to pick an interim leader of the Official Opposition. And New Democrats are meeting Monday night to select an interim leader to replace Jagmeet Singh who also lost his seat in last week's election. The Power Panel discusses the future for both opposition parties. Mulroney ran in his home riding of Manicouagan in the 1984 general election, which his party won in a landslide. MacKay was re-elected in Central Nova that same year and served in Mulroney's cabinet. In 1990, New Brunswick MP Fernand Robichaud ceded his riding of Beauséjour so Liberal Party Leader Jean Chrétien could run in a byelection. Chrétien had represented the Saint-Maurice area of Quebec under former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, but had resigned before making his successful leadership push. When the 1993 general election rolled around, Chrétien ran in St-Maurice, which includes his hometown of Shawinigan, and Robichaud successfully re-offered in Beauséjour.
CTV News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Conservative caucus to meet Tuesday for first time since election loss
The Conservative Party caucus is set to meet for the first time since losing the federal election with a meeting set for next Tuesday, according to an internal memo obtained by CTV News. The meeting is being called to 'exercise provisions set out in the Reform Act contained in Section 49 of the Parliament of Canada Act,' the memo reads. Through the Reform Act — an initiative from Ontario Conservative MP Michael Chong that came into effect in 2015 — the caucus can vote on giving themselves four key internal powers for the coming session, including the ability to review and remove their party leader and elect an interim replacement. If Conservatives want to forge ahead with a leadership review, 20 per cent of caucus would need to sign a formal agreement to trigger the process, and then it would require a majority of caucus members to vote to remove the leader through a secret-ballot process. In 2022, the party used those powers to oust former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole months following the 2021 federal election loss. But the party's current leader Pierre Poilievre appears to have support for now, despite losing his own seat and leading the party to its fourth failed attempt to defeat the Liberals. Speaking to CTV Power Play on Wednesday, former leader and re-elected Conservative MP for the riding of Regina-Qu'Appelle Andrew Scheer said Poilievre is 'absolutely' staying on. 'Pierre is a fighter, and he's doing it for the people who have been left behind for this government. That's really what inspires him,' Scheer told host Vassy Kapelos. Several prominent conservatives, including former prime minister Stephen Harper, have also taken to social media to defend Poilievre. In a post to X on Tuesday, Harper congratulated Poilievre for 'making significant gains, both in seats and popular vote, and bringing an entire new generation of Canadians to the Conservative Party.' According to a Conservative campaign source speaking to CTV News on background, Poilievre is 'making calls to the grassroots' and 'will get a seat' as party members want to see him back in the House of Commons. But the process to get another seat will require a Conservative MP to step aside and the federal government to call a byelection, which could take several months. According to Elections Canada, the Conservatives received 8,086,051 votes in this latest federal election, accounting for 41.3 per cent of the vote. While the result is the party's highest total for the party since Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in 1988 with 43 per cent of the popular vote, Poilievre still lost the popular vote to the Liberals, who garnered 43.7 per cent of the vote share. With files from CTV News' Abigail Bimman and Rachel Aiello
