The prayer will continue to be recited daily in the House of Commons. The Bloc motion that aimed to replace it with a moment of reflection was defeated by a majority of federal elected officials. A Liberal MP, the two elected Green Party members and almost all New Democrat MPs had supported it, however.
“Parliamentarians, Liberals and Conservatives essentially, have just affirmed the choice which means that in the rules of the House of Commons, to be seated there at the beginning of each sitting, one must participate in a prayer to the white God, Christian , from the West, and incidentally monarchist,” lamented the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, following the vote which had just rejected his party’s initiative. “Canada is therefore asserting itself as a religious country, as a monarchist country”, he argued, believing that he had thus succeeded in “allowing Quebecers to see that the values of Quebec and the values of the House of Commons of Canada are diametrically opposites”.
The vote ended with 56 for and 266 against on Wednesday.
All elected Bloc members, 21 of the 25 New Democratic Party MPs (including leader Jagmeet Singh) and the two Greens voted in favor of abandoning the prayer. Four New Democrats, all the Conservatives and Liberals, however, opposed it — with the exception of a single Liberal, Nate Erskine-Smith, who voted with the Bloc.
The Liberals had allowed a free vote to their elected officials—apart from cabinet members. Same with the NDP.
The Bloc had taken advantage of its opposition day, Tuesday, to present a motion demanding that the deputies abandon the parliamentary prayer pronounced every day, behind closed doors and before the official start of work. The text sought to rule that “the Chamber respects the beliefs and non-beliefs” of elected officials as well as of the population, that it has “an attachment to the principle of separation of religion and the State” and respects “the secularism and the religious neutrality of the State”.
The NDP lines up behind the Bloc
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who is of the Sikh faith, took up the Bloc argument on Wednesday, explaining that he would support the motion since, he recalled, he too believes “deeply in the separation between the Church and the state. This is a specific example where we can remove an element contrary to this separation”.
Mr. Singh argued that he would prefer a personal moment of reflection for everyone, depending on their spirituality, religion or beliefs.
The daily prayer is recited by the President of the Chamber. The text begins by thanking “Almighty God”, praying to him “for our Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth, and the Governor General”, and inviting him to guide the elect in their deliberations. The 600 word prayer ends with “Amen”.
Not the right forum
Liberals and Conservatives have been hammering home for two days that Quebecers and Canadians have other priorities than debating this prayer. Both parties further argued that such a change to House procedure should be properly discussed at the annual Order of Business debate, scheduled for June.
It is for this reason that the Conservative Party did not allow free votes to its deputies, because the motion “does not use the appropriate parliamentary procedure”, argued a spokesperson.
“It’s nonsense,” retorted Mr. Blanchet. “The House of Commons is empowered to vote by motion a change to the Standing Orders of the House. He did not rule out returning to the charge at the debate next month or on another occasion.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meanwhile once again accused the Bloc of simply “looking for the chicanery”.
Banned by the Supreme Court in Saguenay
The prayer of the House of Commons had already been debated in 2015, after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that another prayer, that pronounced publicly at the opening of the meetings of the municipal council of Saguenay, should be abolished.
The judges, however, did not rule on the prayer recited in Parliament, explaining that it was not public and that it was possible that it “was subject to parliamentary privilege”.
Justin Trudeau, who then led the Liberal Party in opposition, said he hoped the House would adapt to this decision to “defend the rights of individuals” and “ensure that it is done in a way that respects all world “.
The leader of the NDP at the time, Thomas Mulcair, also felt that it should be adapted. He had cited as an example the formula of the National Assembly, namely “a moment of reflection” like the one proposed today by the Bloc Québécois.
With Boris Proulx