Resumption of parliamentary work | The elect in mined ground

The resumption of parliamentary work will take place under close surveillance this Monday with the demonstration of truckers which continues in the city center of the federal capital. However, elected officials are unlikely to set foot in parliament in person, since they can participate in the work of the House of Commons virtually. Here is an overview of the issues they will focus on.

Mylene Crete
The Press

(Ottawa) COVID-19

The government will table a bill on Monday concerning certain measures related to COVID-19. The fifth wave of the pandemic is starting to show signs of running out of steam, but the appearance of the new BA.2 strain of the Omicron variant has something to relaunch discussions on vaccination in developing countries. Canada’s contribution to the COVAX program of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the debate on the lifting of patents for vaccines are likely to resurface. At the same time, the Trudeau government will have to deal with the anger raised by compulsory vaccination and health measures. Even if restrictions such as the closure of certain businesses are the responsibility of provincial governments, the dissatisfaction of the demonstrators fell on the federal prime minister for all the grievances related to the pandemic. Cross-border truckers must be fully vaccinated if they want to avoid a 14-day quarantine upon returning home.

Health transfers

The provinces do not intend to wait until the end of the pandemic to discuss the increase in health transfers, as suggested by Justin Trudeau. They intend to increase pressure on the federal government to obtain the additional $28 billion that has been demanded for months, which would increase Ottawa’s contribution from 22% to 35%. In Quebec, the fifth wave of the pandemic has pushed the health network to its limit. The New Democratic Party (NDP) will make the preservation of the public health care system one of its main priorities. The Bloc Québécois will continue to call for a summit on health funding. The Liberals made a series of promises during the election campaign to increase these amounts, which would, however, come with strings attached.

Ukraine

Are we heading towards an armed conflict in Eastern Europe? Canada’s aid to Ukraine is likely to be the subject of debate when Parliament resumes. Already, the Conservatives believe that the Canadian contribution is insufficient. In addition to the 260 soldiers of the Armed Forces on a training mission there, they are calling for the sending of lethal defense weapons so that Ukraine can protect itself against aggression from Russia. Tensions have been high in the region since the Russian army stationed 100,000 soldiers on the border between the two countries.

Rise of inflation

The cost of groceries, gas and housing is hurting Canadians’ wallets. The inflation rate peaked at 4.8% in December, a 30-year high. Seniors on fixed incomes are particularly affected. The Bloc Québécois intends to urge the government on the measures to be taken to mitigate the impact of this price increase on seniors and SMEs. The NDP will continue to hammer home the need for affordable housing and the Conservative Party will press the Trudeau government to stop spending. A recent report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer argues that the $100 billion economic recovery plan is no longer justified. Bill C-8, which contains certain assistance measures, could give rise to interesting debates.

First 100 Day Promises

The government has just four days left to table four promised bills in the first 100 days of its mandate. Minority Francophone communities have asked for many changes to modernize the Official Languages ​​Act, we say behind the scenes. Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor’s office is hard at work trying to meet the deadline. The other three bills come under the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, who inherited a fairly tough agenda. This is the reform of the Broadcasting Actof the bill to oblige digital platforms to share a portion of their income with the news media and another to fight against toxic content online.

Mandatory minimum sentences

A first bill tabled last year did not make it to adoption before the start of the election campaign. The Liberals tabled it again in December, as they had promised to do during their first 100 days in office. C-5 seeks to abolish mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses and certain firearms crimes. Conservatives oppose it, fearing that offenders will end up serving sentences in the community instead of behind bars. Concerned about firearms trafficking and the recent shootings in Montreal, the Bloc Québécois believes that the timing is badly chosen to repeal these mandatory minimum sentences. The NDP believes that the government should go even further to decriminalize the possession of drugs for personal use.