Every Wednesday, our parliamentary correspondent in Ottawa Marie Vastel analyzes a federal political issue to help you better understand it.
The new version of Parliament was to address post-pandemic economic recovery. “How to rebuild better,” hammered Justin Trudeau during the election campaign. The vaccination was going well. All were filled with optimism. But the political ambitions of federal parties were quickly overtaken by the tenacity of COVID-19. And it was under Omicron’s shadow that they had to navigate during this short parliamentary session.
Two months after the September poll, the Prime Minister recalled Parliament for a Speech from the Throne on November 23. Barely three days later, the World Health Organization announced the appearance of a new “worrying variant”. Less than a week had passed, of the four that would be counted by the brief parliamentary return.
The Liberals wanted to build on their priorities: ban conversion therapy, offer ten paid sick days to federally regulated workers, crack down on protesters intimidating healthcare workers and blocking access to their facilities, and extend more targeted pandemic aid measures.
The opposition parties wanted to push the Liberal government to increase the cost of living, denounce the flaws in certain assistance measures for seniors or artists, demand an increase in federal health transfers, and call for the federal government to act to curb gun violence, particularly in Quebec.
Too bad for these game plans. Day after day, it is the specter of this fifth wave that elected officials have been forced to debate.
More expenses
Or, the priority bills of the government of Justin Trudeau risk being well and truly adopted by the holidays. But their debate being hasty and the spotlight on the variant, the Liberals could not take the opportunity to tackle these breaching issues and attack the Conservatives, the refusal of three of their deputies to be vaccinated or to the opposition of half of them last year to ban conversion therapy.
By announcing a new agreement to reduce child care costs, with New Brunswick this time around, the Prime Minister had to make an interlude to say he was “very concerned” by the arrival of Omicron and to implore Canadians to remain cautious.
Its economic update on Tuesday also included $ 6.8 billion in new spending over six years (including $ 6.4 billion this year and next) to help the Canadian economy, small businesses , entertainment workers, seniors, communities and provinces to get through the crisis which now promises to last. Added to this is $ 4.5 billion precisely to manage the arrival of Omicron – which required more border screening and which will likely force more businesses and workers to avail themselves of the aid measures still in existence. force.
Social issues eclipsed
The opposition parties have not had the free field to follow the government, except on the ineffectiveness of border screening noted by the Auditor General.
The chiefs may have held at least one press briefing per week for a month, on each occasion the subject of their announcement was ignored for a few questions on the arrival of Omicron.
Conservative Gérard Deltell nevertheless believes that his party has succeeded in hitting the nail on inflation. “As long as we have sent our economic message in a relevant and powerful way, every day in Parliament, I don’t mind talking about something else,” argues the party’s House leader. “The arrival of the variant did not prevent us from doing our duty of vigilance. “
The opposition’s favorite files were hammered out in question period. But they will not have or very little percolated outside the Commons.
And the Conservative leader, Erin O’Toole, was forced to manage the positive diagnosis of his elected Quebecois Richard Martel in the days following a caucus meeting, then to explain the refusal to be vaccinated by three of his deputies.
On the Bloc’s side, we admit that we were a little disappointed at not being able to discuss further the rise in gun violence in Montreal and the alarming number of feminicides in Quebec. “Politically, there are important social debates that we should have and that we had to put aside,” regrets a source. But the parties have their hands tied. “There is both a political and a human responsibility to make the fight against COVID-19 a priority. “
The same goes for the New Democratic Party. Difficult to impose subjects of debate. “It’s going a bit under the radar.” Result: the deputy leader, Alexandre Boulerice, has the impression that the short session will not have been very productive.
A return to March 2020
The frustrations of the opposition parties, which will have been unable to dictate their political subjects, are likely to continue in 2022.
Everything indicates that this new wave has only just begun. Federal public health has warned that the number of COVID-19 cases is about to explode, with the Omicron variant becoming dominant and raising the specter of a fifth wave like the one wreaking havoc in Europe.
Already, the Liberals announced Tuesday evening that they will continue their parliamentary activities mainly in virtual mode.
Politicians can therefore be as discouraged as citizens, who see further tightening on the horizon. Their political priorities have obviously not finished being eclipsed, by Omicron or even its possible worrying successors.