Why is Parliament paralyzed in Ottawa?

Photo: Sean Kilpatrick The Canadian Press Parliamentary proceedings have not returned to normal since September 26.

Boris Proulx and Sandrine Vieira in Ottawa

Published at 5:39 p.m.

< li>Canada

The House of Commons has not considered any bills since early October, and it could be disrupted for some time to come as it awaits documents from a disgraced federal green fund.

“The Liberals have paralyzed Parliament by refusing to respect your judgment: they must turn over the documents to the RCMP regarding a $400-million scandal,” chanted Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre at the start of question period in Ottawa on Monday.

Here’s what we know about this latest chapter in the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) scandal, a file on which the majority opposition parties are choosing to obstruct.

Read also

• Ottawa suspends green fund operations

Where the obstruction comes from ?

Since last summer, Conservative elected officials have been demanding that the government release documents related to the misuse of public funds by TDDC, a federal green fund that is currently being dismantled.

In June, a motion put forward by the Conservatives called on the government to provide all documents related to the case to the police within 30 days. It was adopted with the support of the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party (NDP), despite the Liberals’ rejection.

“In some cases, information was only partially released, with documents redacted or withheld. In other cases, the House was met with a categorical refusal,” House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus finally ruled on September 26. Parliamentary proceedings have not returned to normal since.

What is TDDC ?

Sustainable Development Technology Canada was a federal fund designed to provide financial assistance to companies developing sustainable technologies. Its operations ran from 2017 to 2023. Its board of directors approved funding for a total of 226 projects during those years, totaling $836 million.

However, a devastating report on its management has revealed major management problems with this green fund, leading the government to suspend its operations.

SDTC has not funded anything for a year, an external firm is reviewing all of its contracts, and a new management team is set to merge it with Natural Resources Canada.

What did the Auditor General say ?

With TDDC already on the radar of opposition figures in Ottawa, and its operations already suspended for review, the Auditor General of Canada released a comprehensive report last June highlighting serious shortcomings in the way public funds were allocated.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

Projects totalling tens of millions of dollars did not meet program requirements, noted Auditor Karen Hogan. Worse, its board of directors was in conflict of interest when it made 90 decisions representing nearly $76 million in project funding.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that it had opened an investigation into the matter and already had some documents in its possession.

What exactly is the opposition asking for? ?

On June 10, Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer secured the support of the other opposition parties in the House to order the government, SDTC and the Auditor General of Canada to table “all records, documents, briefing notes, memos, emails and other correspondence between government officials relating to SDTC” – and for the documents to be forwarded to the RCMP.

On September 16, Mr. Scheer returned to the charge, claiming that several government departments and agencies had failed to comply with the House order. The Speaker of the House finally agreed with him two weeks later.

“The only way to resolve this, the only way to ensure that the RCMP can do its job and that Parliament can continue, is for the government to give the police access to these documents,” Conservative MP Gérard Deltell summarized in the House on Monday.

How the Liberals are defending themselves ?

The Liberals argue that the request for documents from the RCMP would “blur” the lines between the legislative and judicial branches of government.

“Never before has the House of Commons asked that documents not be used for its own purposes and study, but rather be given to a third party, and in this case, the police,” Liberal House Leader Karina Gould said in a statement to reporters last week.

Justice Minister Arif Virani also condemned the idea of ​​providing documents to police. “We have this fundamental principle of police independence, which we protect in Canada. Who doesn’t protect them? ? Authoritarian regimes. I suspect the Leader of the Opposition and his cronies share a favouritism for authoritarian tactics in this House,” he said in Question Period on Monday.

What is the impact of the paralysis ?

All of the regular business of Parliament — such as passing bills or introducing new legislation — is postponed while this question of privilege is dealt with. For example, a confidence vote on a budget motion to ratify new capital gains tax rules has been postponed since last week.

“The main motivation of the opposition is this idea of ​​parliamentary supremacy. It's the idea that parliament should have more power than the government,” explains to DevoirAlex Marland, professor in the politics department at Acadia University.

The majority opposition parties are thus sending a message to the Trudeau government: its time in power, already limited, could be wasted without further ado, unless it shows its credentials.

When will all this end ?

The various experts and government sources consulted by Le Devoir do not know exactly how long this little game could last. They do agree on one thing, however: the House of Commons could be disrupted for several days, even weeks.

Unless MPs tire of their outrageous speeches, or one party agrees with the government to force a closure motion, debate could theoretically continue until all MPs have spoken for 30 minutes, not counting amendments. There are 183 opposition or independent MPs in the House of Commons.

This is not the first time Canada has experienced such an episode, notes Professor Alex Marland. The Harper government fought, and lost, a battle with Parliament to withhold documents about the war in Afghanistan.