With the new Cabinet in place and a new trade minister now in the portfolio, Andrew Scheer decided that yesterday was the day to engage in a political stunt and demand that Parliament be recalled in the middle of summer in order to pass the enabling legislation for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Astute observers may recall that the Conservatives made a couple of attempts before the Commons rose for the summer to pass the bill at all stages with zero debate or committee study, but were rebuffed both times. Now they want Parliament to sit over the summer in order to pass it expeditiously.
With NAFTA in jeopardy, and a series of failures on other major trade files, Canada needs to diversify its export markets now. There is no time to wait. That’s why today I sent this letter to Justin Trudeau. He should recall Parliament and ratify CPTPP: https://t.co/IJ9PVPQBMR pic.twitter.com/ia8pgpGntE
— Andrew Scheer (@AndrewScheer) July 19, 2018
There are, of course, a few problems with this demand. First of all, Ottawa is a virtual ghost town at this time of year, as a sizeable portion of the population (and most especially the civil service) is off at some cottage somewhere, and very little is getting done. You want to ensure there’s a revolt, then cancel everyone’s vacations. A number of workers on Parliament Hill, such as those who work in the Parliamentary Restaurant, get laid off over the summer, so rehiring them for a few days or a week would be a giant logistical nightmare. Not to mention, you’re going to have a tonne of cranky MPs who are hot and sticky in humid Ottawa, who are will spend the time grousing that they have work to do in their consitutencies (especially with an election a little over a year away). This especially includes Scheer’s own MPs. Add to that, Scheer says that the Commons needs to move now because there’s no guarantee how long the Senate will take with this – err, except if his own senators offer to play ball with the other senators and come to an agreement on a timeline for the bill, then it’s more of an empty threat.
We are absolutely on track to be among the crucial first six! 100% #CPTPP The @NDP could easily get on board with prosperity and #diversification. Less games, more trade, better access for Canadians. That's our strategy. https://t.co/0lYDegRutz
— Jim Carr (@jimcarr_wpg) July 19, 2018
The government, mind you, shot down this proposal because it’s a blatant stunt, but that left the Conservatives the day to start tweeting sanctimoniously over Twitter about how they’re willing to get to work but the Liberals aren’t. (Seriously guys, this game will bite you in the ass before you know it). And then there’s the kicker – Scheer made this demand, then rebuffed the media requests and said he’s off for holidays for the next two weeks, thus cementing the fact that this was all a stunt. Slow clap, guys. But I guess it’s a way to try and capture the news cycle for the day.
You know how sometimes you go into work on the weekend because you have something really important to get done & it will greatly benefit your company to get it done right away? Imagine your boss saying in response you’re just playing games. That’s what the Trudeau govt did today
— Hon. Lisa MacCormack Raitt P.C. (@lraitt) July 19, 2018
@AndrewScheer calls for immediate return of Parliament as he heads out on 2 week vacation. #cdnpoli https://t.co/neUWrx4eoa
— Robert Fife (@RobertFife) July 19, 2018
Meanwhile, here’s Philippe Lagassé to school you on how most people don’t it right when they talk about treaty ratification in our parliamentary system.
There's no such thing as an "emergency session". If the Govt persuades the Speaker that he needs to recall the HoC to deal w something right away, the HoC will continue sitting unless there is agreement to adjourn or Govt prorogues Parl. https://t.co/UK8eKYplSj
— B. Thomas Hall (@ThomasHall17) July 19, 2018