Canadian parliament returns to work

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East The Canadian Parliament is back after a six-week break. As usual the Liberal government of the day will be facing aggressive questions from the opposition bench about various issues such as a number of ethical missteps and the sorry state of Canada's health-care system; two issues that are poised to dominate this spring sitting. Even if there's no election this year, the parties are busy positioning themselves for one as they try to have the best shot in the upcoming electoral process. This year should still be a consequential preparatory year and it will start with the legislation that was still in progress when MPs and senators broke for the winter holidays. There are some old issues with controversial legislation proposals, which will take life again. You may remember that before the break, the government's newest firearms legislation (C-21) was stuck at the public safety committee as critics accused it of overreach. In the face of that criticism, Liberals said they were willing to consider feedback; it remains to be seen what kind of changes will be necessary to move the bill forward. Also, Bill C-11, the government's contested attempt to bring major Internet platforms under Canadian broadcast regulations, was still in the Senate in December. The upper chamber seems poised to send it back to the House with amendments - the Senate committee that studied the bill recommended a dozen changes. There are other legislations in the works, at various stages in Parliament; legislations that might be interesting to see how it develops. For example, Bill C-35 sets out how and under what conditions the federal government would fund childcare and early learning programs at the provincial level. In effect, it would put into law what the Liberal government started when it negotiated a series of bilateral childcare funding agreements with each province. If C-35 passes Parliament, it will make it much harder for some future government to abandon the program. It is also , focexpected that the Liberal government will propose new legislation in view of continuing its agenda on the energy file; on reducing the dependency of the economy on fossil fuels. In the next several weeks Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is expected to table: the government's "just transition" (or "sustainable jobs") legislation. We will have to see how this is dealt with, in view of the deep controversies surrounding this subject. The official opposition party, the Conservatives, lead at this time by a fiery focused and shrewd leader, will certainly do an excellent job of keeping the Liberal government responsible to the Canadian public. With each of the bills, the Liberals will be putting pressure on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to either support the government's agenda or explain what he would do differently. The Conservatives will also have their own moves to make, particularly in various House committees. The government operations committee was already investigating the creation of the Government's ArriveCan app and it will begin hearings soon, on the federal government's excessive use of private contractors and consultants like McKinsey. The issue of the contracts for the consulting firm McKinsey seems to raise some political storm. The Liberal government seems to have funnelled a huge number of pricy contracts to McKinsey, a consulting firm that has received tens of millions of dollars in government contracts over the past seven years. The U.S.-based McKinsey, with some financial controversies, was once run by Dominic Barton, the man tapped by Trudeau to be Canada's ambassador to China. McKinsey has provided advice to the federal bureaucracy also on immigration issues, among other matters. Poilievre has said that it's not clear that the government got good value for its money. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is grappling with a backlog of some 2.2 million cases as it works to review applications. While many Canadians are struggling with a shaky economy and sky-high inflation, Poilievre said "the people Trudeau surrounds himself with - like the high-priced consultants at McKinsey - are doing better than ever." Then there are several conflict of interest issues surrounding ministers such as Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen and Trade Minister Mary Ng, that Conservative members of the ethics committee will certainly pursue. An interesting report by Justice Paul Rouleau, to be tabled soon, is also worth mentioning, as it is bound to raise some political dust. He has until February 6 to present cabinet with a final report from the public commission probing the government's use of the Emergencies Act to end the convoy protests that snarled downtown Ottawa and multiple border crossings a year ago. (Cabinet will then have until February 20 to release that report.) In conclusion, with the international situation worsening, the World Economic Foundation (WEF) doing its utmost to make the world into their globalist haven, and the world economy in a downward spiral, I am certain that the spring session of the Parliament will be an interesting one. Follow it and Enjoy!