Liberals seek to run out the clock on parliamentary disclosure – The Globe and Mail
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 25, 2021.
Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Last week, Liberal MPs on the Commons health committee talked and talked to filibuster a meeting about what the committee would do with its last seven meetings before the summer.
The stalling was organized because opposition MPs wanted one of those meetings to be devoted to having officials explain another kind of stalling: the governments refusal to hand over piles of documents about how the COVID-19 pandemic was handled.
Its been obvious since those documents were first requested last October that the government didnt really want to hand over the papers.
Story continues below advertisement
But now, there is, in the eyes of the Liberal government, an end in sight: just a few weeks to go. They can run out the clock.
There is a crazy mix of time pressures at the close of a minority Parliaments sitting, especially when the session seems destined to end soon because an election is expected.
The Liberal government is rushing to push through key bills they want passed into law before a widely expected fall election, but they are also doing their best to run out the clock on various opposition-initiated orders and studies like the request for pandemic documents.
If the Liberals can stall until Parliament rises, an election will (probably) be called in the fall, and the motion demanding the government disclose documents will die. Home free!
Quebecs Bill 96 creates opportunity for federal Liberals, senator says
What is Bill C-10 and why are the Liberals planning to regulate the internet?
Thats just one example. Liberals MPs have in recent weeks filibustered at the defence committees hearings into sexual misconduct by top military commanders and the procedure and house affairs committees review of Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus decision to prorogue Parliament last August.
It really is the Liberal festival of filibusters, said Conservative House Leader Grald Deltell.
It is not entirely new. In minority Parliaments, opposition parties in the majority can vote to hold hearings or demand documents, and governments sometimes seek to obstruct them.
Story continues below advertisement
Stephen Harpers Conservatives filibustered committees in 2008, before Mr. Harper declared Parliament dysfunctional and called an election. In 2011, Mr. Harpers government fell on a motion declaring him in contempt for failing to deliver documents detailing the costs of corporate tax cuts, crime legislation and F-35 fighter jets then won a majority in the following election.
So the Liberals can say that Conservatives did it, too. Which is like saying you have become the thing you used to criticize.
At the health committee, the government has said the request for documents will cover a million documents, but provided about 8,400. Where are the other 992,000? asked New Democrat MP Don Davies.
Last week, opposition MPs proposed agendas for the last seven meetings of the session, including one where senior officials would be asked to explain the failure to provide the documents. Liberal MPs filibustered. In a pandemic, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner noted, the government wont disclose documents on things such as vaccines and procurement of personal protective equipment.
At the defence committee, Liberal MPs have blocked efforts to have the chief aide to Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan testify. On Monday, opposition MPs presented a motion requiring the committee to present a final report to the House of Commons by June 9. Liberals filibustered.
In the procedure and house affairs committee, theres a double dose of hypocrisy. There, MPs are conducting an inquiry into Mr. Trudeaus reasons for proroguing Parliament in August, which upended the progress of bills and committee studies, like inquiries into the WE Charity affair. (The Commons ethics committee, after many hours of delays, is supposed to report on a revived WE study this week.)
Story continues below advertisement
The funny thing is that the committee is studying prorogation because, back in the 2015 election, Mr. Trudeau criticizing Mr. Harper for being unaccountable promised prime ministers would have to explain their reasons for proroguing.
The government has provided written reasons, but opposition MPs, believing it had more to do with cutting off parliamentary scrutiny, pushed for Mr. Trudeau to appear in person to explain it. Liberal MPs filibustered for months. The Liberals were using stall tactics to cut off a study of stall tactics, to avoid Mr. Trudeau having to explain the thing he promised that PMs would have to explain.
I am aware there is a certain crushing irony, said New Democrat MP Daniel Blaikie.
But finally, there is now a little hope of movement at that committee. Mr. Trudeau probably still wont testify, but maybe there will be enough co-operation so MPs can actually write their report about prorogation. Theres an election bill the Liberals want to pass before summer, and it has to go through that committee.
Know what is happening in the halls of power with the days top political headlines and commentary as selected by Globe editors (subscribers only). Sign up today.
Read more:
Liberals seek to run out the clock on parliamentary disclosure - The Globe and Mail
- A case study in groupthink: were liberals wrong about the pandemic? | US politics - The Guardian - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Federal election: Conservatives and Liberals are targeting different generations and geographies online - The Conversation - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- GOP must Musk up, liberals vs. the Constitution and other commentary - New York Post - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- How to make Trump obey courts? Heres an explosive strategy liberals will love - NJ.com - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- CT liberals united on combating Trump, but issues remain - Connecticut Public - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Liberals 'abundance agenda' takes time to absorb, but it's worth it - The Statehouse File - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Liberals win majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court - CNN - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Mark Carney visits Victoria as Liberals try to break into southern Vancouver Island - Vancouver Sun - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Liberals hold Wisconsin Supreme Court after campaign shaped heavily by Musk - The 19th News - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Mark Carneys Liberals to deliver urgent support to protect Canadian retirees in this global crisis - Liberal Party of Canada - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- CTV National News: Polling shows tightening race between Liberals and Conservatives - CTV News - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Liberals maintain polling lead as campaign nears the halfway point - CBC - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Mark Carneys Liberals to protect Canadas Nature, Biodiversity, and Water - Liberal Party of Canada - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- FIRST READING: The Liberals may have just lost their most winning issue - National Post - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Gap between Conservatives and Liberals narrowing in polls - CTV News - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- LILLEY: The Liberals put Canada in this mess, not Trump - Toronto Sun - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- How the Liberals picked a fight with another type of woman - AFR - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Liberals open their first collaborative health clinic - Yahoo News Canada - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Gap between Conservatives and Liberals narrowing in polls - CP24 - April 8th, 2025 [April 8th, 2025]
- Canada Liberals to vote on Trudeau's successor as trade war with US heats up - FRANCE 24 English - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- The Liberals are on the verge of a remarkable comeback. Theres one thing the new leader must do to clinch a win - Toronto Star - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- The Liberals Choose a Leader in the Shadow of Trumps Threats - The New York Times - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Liberals to turn the page on the Justin Trudeau era as party selects successor - CTV News - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Tesla, Inc. (TSLA): Jim Cramer Warns Liberals Arent Buying Their Cars! - Yahoo Finance - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Canada Liberals to reveal Trudeaus successor amid trade war with US - The News International - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Disgusting, Ugly Liberals Try To Smear Riley Gaines For The Dumbest Reason Possible - Outkick - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- The Liberals are about to choose the next prime minister. What happens next? - CTV News - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Canada's ruling Liberals move on from Trudeau with Trump boost - Reuters - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Liberals torch trash Gavin Newsom for launching podcast with Charlie Kirk interview - The Independent - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Canadas Liberals were heading into a crushing defeat. Then came Trump. - The Washington Post - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Carson Jerema: Free trade is dead. Someone should tell the Liberals - National Post - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Austrian liberals' vote removes last obstacle to coalition government - Reuters - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Gould hoping progressive Liberals will propel her to party leadership - iPolitics.ca - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Liberals torch trash Gavin Newsom for launching podcast with Charlie Kirk interview - AOL - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Opposition PCs hammer NL Liberals on health cuts to hit savings goal - SaltWire N.L. powered by The Telegram - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Gavin Newsom splits from California liberals and condemns transgender athletes in women's sport in chat with C - Daily Mail - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Analysis-Canada's ruling Liberals move on from Trudeau with Trump boost - MSN - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- An Emotional Torture Chamber for Liberals: 3 Writers on Trumps First Month - The New York Times - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- What conservative women know and liberals don't about happiness | Opinion - USA TODAY - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- What conservative women know and liberals don't about happiness | Opinion - Institute for Family Studies - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Liberals', conservatives' trust in US government's use of digital health data diverged during COVID - University of Minnesota Twin Cities - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The changing face of gun ownership... Liberals reveal the bold reasons they're taking up arms - Daily Mail - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Omar El Akkad on Genocide, Complicit Liberals, and the Terrible Wrath of the West - Literary Hub - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- WA Liberals' Albany candidate Thomas Brough back in spotlight over abortion comments - ABC News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- John Ivison: Why Conservatives say they arent sweating the Liberals Lazarus-like revival - National Post - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Liberals top Tories for 1st time in years, new Ipsos polling says - Global News Toronto - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Why White Christian Nationalists are Freaked out: Liberals are More likely to be Non-Religious than Christian - Informed Comment - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The Week in Polling: Liberals gaining fast on the Conservatives; Canadians think Trump is serious about the 51st state; Carney not far ahead of... - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Letters to the editor, Feb. 27: One of my greatest regrets is voting for the Liberals in the last election - The Globe and Mail - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- How the shattered German Liberals will be shaped from Brussels - EURACTIV - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Preston Manning: The Liberals' disingenuous deathbed conversion in the face of Trump tariffs - National Post - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Opinion: Before electing Mark Carney as leader, the Liberals should pause for a moment of reflection - The Globe and Mail - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- New poll puts Liberals ahead of the Conservatives for the first time since 2021 - CityNews Vancouver - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- There could have been a better result Liberals regain official party status but remain in third place - iPolitics.ca - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- FIRST READING: The most telling indicator that the Liberals remain doomed - National Post - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- CPACs MAGAfest returns to rub it in the faces of DCs liberals - The Independent - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Austrian liberals join talks on forming a centrist coalition government - Reuters - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Conservatives and liberals will give free theater performance at local church - Decaturish.com - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Liberals loved this earnest Kate McKinnon moment on SNL but Lorne Michaels wasnt a big fan - New York Post - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Liberals need to take a chill pill for Trump headaches and other opinions you read most - Yahoo - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- WA Liberals endure bruising week as election race gets tough - ABC News - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Some Liberals say mistakes costing party, while others defend campaign team punching above its weight - iPolitics.ca - February 23rd, 2025 [February 23rd, 2025]
- Liberals have me worried. Their fury and stress is hurting someone. It isn't Trump. | Opinion - The Columbus Dispatch - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- The boom of in vitro fertilization in Poland after the return of the Liberals to power - Le Monde - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- Jon Stewart reveals the anti-Trump insult he's sick of liberals using and warns it has lost its power - Daily Mail - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- The Guilting of the Liberals - lareviewofbooks - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- Teslas Used to Be Cool. For Liberals, Now They're Anything But - Newsweek - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- Michel Maisonneuve: Only an election can save Canada from the old, tired Liberals - National Post - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- Inside Winnipeg Politics: Could the Liberals really win again? - Winnipeg Sun - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- Letter: Canada cannot afford to re-elect the Liberals - Cowichan Valley Citizen - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- Opposition MPs criticize Liberals for failing to rein in record federal spending on outsourcing - The Globe and Mail - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- Federal vote intention tightens to near-tie as Liberals and New Democrats rally around Carney - Angus Reid Institute - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- Meet the new Liberals. Same as the old Liberals - The Globe and Mail - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Bell: What's up Canada? Liberals could win the election, are you nuts? - Calgary Herald - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Liberals are up 7 in a month, but the Conservatives still hold a 19-point lead - inFocus with David Coletto - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Liberals will soon pick the next prime minister. Here's what candidates are promising - CBC.ca - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- You may not like Trump. But his attempts to seize the Fed contain a lesson for liberals | Leah Downey - The Guardian - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Liberals will soon pick the next prime minister. Here's what candidates are promising - MSN - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Doctor compares liberals reaction to President Trump to Americas shock after 9/11 attacks: It is affecting their lives - New York Post - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Liberals would be tied with Conservatives with Carney as leader: poll - National Post - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]