Finally Parliament begins to work

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU E. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East After elections held on September 20, 2021 Parliament finally returns to work on November 22, 2021 for almost a month, until 17th of December. Members of Parliament will return to the floor of the House of Commons Monday for the first time since June, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's re-elected minority government is aiming to pass some of its campaign pledges during a brief, four-week sitting. In the platform it released ahead of the September election, the Liberal Party listed several measures - including a tax hike on large banks and insurance companies - that it promised would take effect as of Jan. 1, 2022. That means the government will need to obtain Parliamentary approval in the coming weeks to put those measures in place. One of the Liberals' top legislative priorities is to obtain approval for an October government announcement that scaled back pandemic wage and rent supports for businesses while extending the duration of the benefits for the hardest hit companies. At the time the government also announced that it was ending the Canada Recovery Benefit pandemic-relief program. Once again leading a minority government, the Liberals will need to engage in some fancy footwork and crafty maneuvers to pass their agenda. They seem to have the support of the NDP; if not openly, at least behind the scenes. It will be interesting to hear the Throne Speech to get more of an indication about where this government is heading. The Throne Speech, which provides a high-level overview of the government's policy agenda, will likely restate some of the pledges found in the September 2020 speech, while incorporating new items promised by the Liberals during this year's election campaign. In fact, we will surely see more spending on nebulous projects. As the Liberals move forward on their agenda of high spending, inflation is galloping at alarming rates, and will hit taxpayers hard in their pockets, very soon. If things are not handled with professionalism, we will witness the recession taking its victims more voraciously than the actual virus of the Covid 19 pandemic, its mutant forms rapidly gobbling up even the Greek alphabet. With the Conservatives a weak opposition, and embroiled in internal strife, the Liberals are free to make more slap-dash legislation that might roll back the country for decades. The Conservatives as an opposition are talking big, condemning the Liberals' policies, but without putting forward any ideas on how they would lead Canadians to a better world. They seem to have forgotten basic conservative principles, flaunting liberal slogans, flip-flopping on issues, apparently quite out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Canadians. Their wavering declarations on various important issues make them look less palatable to Canadians, and certainly do not engender their trust for placing the leadership of the country in Conservative hands. It might be wise for them to conduct a leadership review and return to a time when they could be taken into serious consideration for forming the government. Unfortunately, with an ineffective leader clinging to power, this issue will be difficult to settle in time to prepare for the next election; an election that can be called at any time in a minority government. In the meantime, everything new will be old again. The Liberals will continue to enforce their will on the people, controlling them first with the vaccine and then with their climate change agenda. These two items are the cornerstone of more restrictive measures to come, in imposing even more limits on your personal freedom. "Show your documents" will soon be embedded in our everyday vocabulary with no reaction from the people feeding daily, on government propaganda. As for your social life, be prepared to see more censorship on the media in general, and social media in particular. You will no longer be able to communicate your ideas freely. Big Brother will be watching you carefully, making sure that you do not cross the line. Paving the way for such controls, legislation that will see continued spending on COVID-19 economic supports will be key. So too will be a promised bill to ban protests outside of hospitals in the wake of multiple such protests over recent months. Protests by freedom fighting citizens opposed to measures like mandatory vaccine policies will also be severely curtailed. Mandating a 10-day sick leave for all workers in federally regulated workplaces will also be among the four key focuses for the government, along with a bill banning conversion therapy. Just forget the private business. Taxpayers' money is free for the spending in the public service they are vote rich…… These are the quick fixes for now, but more will come when Parliament is back in session at the end of January 2022. For the moment however, it is the issue of the vaccination of members of parliament that seems to have taken center stage in the Ottawa bubble. The official media likes the controversies around this issue, especially pointing out that conservatives do not have a clear statement on their position. Although there are more important issues to deal with, our seasoned journalists pay little attention to what is going on around the world. You know, the fiddle of Nero might be the new pandemic… With these thoughts whirling in my head, much like the snow flurries descending upon us, am I ready to face the winter blues with the new moon, sorry… the new government? Are you?