An occupation of the federal capital; a new leader of the opposition; debates surrounding the Constitution. The pandemic crisis may have calmed down in 2022, but political news has not stopped on the federal and Canadian scene. Overview of the highlights of the last twelve months.
The good red-orange agreement
The year 2022 began by cutting short the suspense that usually accompanies the instability of a minority government. Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh announced their “support agreement” in March, barely five months after the election. The Liberals could now hope to govern until the end of their mandate, in 2025, while the New Democrats, in exchange for their support for the confidence votes and the budgets, could finally see the dawn of the realization of some of their demands. The first sections of a universal dental insurance were thus thrown, for the children of less than 12 years. A one-time supplement of $500 was paid to low-income tenants. As promised by the Liberals, workers in federal companies were entitled to ten days of paid sick leave. And the government has just tabled a bill protecting the funding of its national child care system. The agreement foresees further milestones in 2023. Although Jagmeet Singh has twice threatened to terminate the agreement if he does not get what he was promised, both sides behind the scenes are doing state of good cooperation.
The wave Pierre Poilievre
The choice of the Conservative members was unequivocal. Pierre Poilievre became leader with 68% support, far ahead of Jean Charest (16%). He was elected by promising freedom in all winds: energy, with oil and gas projects; economic, thanks to cryptocurrency; and vaccination. He also hit the nail on the head about inflation and was careful to avoid the mainstream media, but still got people talking. First following the departure of Alain Rayes, when the CCP invited its voters to summon him to resign. Then when videos of the chef were revealed to be using a misogynistic hashtag. Mr. Poilievre also announced that he would stop funding supervised injection sites if elected — centers protected by a Supreme Court decision. Mr. Poilievre seemed to adjust his media strategy at the end of the year, following disappointing results during a partial in Mississauga–Lakeshore. The CCP leads narrowly in the polls, but the leader faces 54% unfavorable opinions of him — a score worse than his three predecessors, according to Angus Reid.
A truck stopper
A convoy of truckers opposed to health measures against COVID-19 has changed the face of Wellington Street, in front of parliament in Ottawa, possibly forever. The artery was completely blocked by heavy vehicles from the last days of January. Canadian flags flew upside down; people were swearing at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It was only after three weeks of occupation, punctuated by intense cold and incessant horns, that various police forces, including the Sûreté du Québec, dispersed the demonstrators. They were given new powers, thanks to the first ever invocation of the Emergencies Act by the government of Justin Trudeau. Several months later, in the fall, the event was scrutinized by a public inquiry commission, which heard more than 75 witnesses over six weeks. These hearings revealed an insurrection within the Ottawa police, disagreements between the main organizers and embarrassing text messages sent between ministers of the Trudeau cabinet.
The disputed Constitution
Justin Trudeau always insists on the fact that Canadians “do not want us to waste our energy on reopening constitutional debates”. However, three provinces have forced it to worry about it. In Alberta, new Conservative leader and Premier Danielle Smith pushed through her Sovereignty Act, to ignore any federal laws or regulations that would go against provincial interests. The “Saskatchewan First Act” states that the province has exclusive jurisdiction over its natural resources. In Quebec, it is by withdrawing from the article of the Constitution of 1867, unilaterally there too, that the oath to the king has become optional for elected officials. The CAQ government had previously used the derogation clause preventively for its bills 21 on secularism and 96 on the French language. Doug Ford tried to do the same to settle a labor dispute in Ontario, only to back down. Many experts in English Canada fear that a proliferation of these legislative initiatives will gradually erode respect for the Constitution.
The Green Party is treading water
The last year will have taken place like the previous one, in turmoil, for environmental training. After accusations of racism and sexism brandished by ex-chief Annamie Paul in 2021, the person occupying the post of acting chief, Amita Kuttner, in turn said he was the victim of discrimination. Being misgendered during a leadership race event led to the resignation of the party president responsible for the incident. Two candidates were excluded from this race: Quebecer Alex Tyrrell, for positions deemed too pro-Russian, and Albertan Najib Jutt, who refused to submit to the mandatory French test, calling him a brake on diversity. The party closed its Ottawa office. And the leadership vote drew just 8,030 members — a turnout of 36.5%, down from 68% in 2020. So Elizabeth May was re-elected as leader by 4,666 members, having handed over the reins three years ago. year. “It’s a bit of deja vu, but it’s not the same thing,” she defended herself, since she will be co-chief with Quebecer Jonathan Pedneault. However, the party must modify its constitution to do so.
More crises than new laws
War in Ukraine, Chinese interference, political and humanitarian crisis in Haiti, midterm elections in the United States. Federal news will also have been partly monopolized by various international issues this year. National challenges have not been lacking, however: chaos in the delivery of passports, delays for immigration applications, record rise in inflation, quarrel over health transfers. The Bloc Québécois even launched a brief debate on Canada’s membership in the monarchy, which revealed that the Liberals and New Democrats are themselves divided. As a result, parliamentary work was somewhat eclipsed. The government introduced only nine bills this fall — five of them in the last ten days of the parliamentary session — and only six others were passed. The Liberals’ flagship proposals — on official languages (C-13), firearms (C-21) and broadcasting (C-11) — have yet to be enacted. The C-18 on the online news barely had time to get sent to the Senate. All these debates will have to resume on their return, in January.
With Boris Proulx