Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to resign has sparked speculation about who will lead the Liberal Party in the next election, but his decision to prorogue parliament could narrow the window for a federal vote.
Election rules state that voting must take place by October at the latest. However, the three main opposition parties are now vowing to topple the minority Liberal government at the earliest opportunity.
Congress was scheduled to return from winter recess at the end of January. But Prime Minister Trudeau said Monday that Gov. Mary Simon had agreed to adjourn, or suspend, Parliament until March 24.
The prorogation of Parliament will protect the Liberal Party from a vote of confidence in the House of Commons while it elects a new leader. It is not yet clear when the Liberal Party will hold a leadership vote, but it will likely happen before the House of Commons returns.
This break in parliament is preparing the House of Commons for several different scenarios that could see the government collapse within the first week after MPs return to Ottawa, or sooner.
Adjournment of Parliament means the adjournment of Parliament. The new session is due to begin when the Commons returns in March, and the government is expected to deliver a Throne Speech outlining its priorities, as is customary at the start of a new session.
Traditionally, the Throne Speech is debated and voted on in the House of Commons and is considered a vote of confidence. In other words, if you lose the vote, the government collapses.
In a major political development, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he will step down as both prime minister and Liberal Party leader once a replacement is named, and the federal election is likely to be postponed until the spring. Andrew Chan details the circumstances that led to this announcement and the implications of proroguing Congress amid heightened tensions with the United States and President-elect Donald Trump. Images collected from Reuters, Getty Images, and The Canadian Press.
However, the House of Commons is not necessarily required to debate or vote on the Throne Speech, and has sometimes been omitted in the past.
But the government is facing a deadline to bring forward new spending estimates.
Under parliamentary rules, the government has three deadlines a year to submit spending estimates for approval by the House of Commons. The next deadline is March 26th. Votes on government spending are automatically considered matters of confidence, and an election will be called if MPs do not approve Liberal spending.
During regular sittings, opposition parties are also given a set number of “quota days”, informally known as opposition days, before votes on spending estimates are taken. There are only a few sit-in days planned for March, but the government could hold a protest day the week the House of Commons reconvenes.
On Opposition Day, any opposition party can submit a motion to override government business. as Conservatives did that several times in the fall.political parties can clearly state in opposition day motions that they have lost faith in the government and call on other parties to join them in overthrowing the government.
Canada’s election rules state that campaigning must last between 37 and 51 days. If the government collapses at the end of March, elections would need to be held in early or mid-May.
Trudeau’s successor could avoid testing the confidence of the House of Commons by asking the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament before it is scheduled to reconvene. Depending on when the next prime minister takes office, elections may be held before May.
