Close X
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

Parliament returns amid partisan wrangling, rumblings about Trudeau's leadership

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Oct, 2024 11:24 AM
  • Parliament returns amid partisan wrangling, rumblings about Trudeau's leadership

The House of Commons returns today from a weeklong break, but it's unlikely to be business as usual.

Members of Parliament resumed an 11th day of debate on a Conservative demand for documents about federal spending on green technology projects.

The matter of privilege has all but paralyzed House business as the Liberals try to maintain a grip on an increasingly fractious minority Parliament.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has also written a letter to House Speaker Greg Fergus, asking for an emergency debate on the RCMP allegations that agents of the Indian government were linked to cases of murder, extortion and coercion in Canada. 

Canada expelled six Indian diplomats and India in turn sent six Canadian envoys home as a result of the allegations.

In the letter, Singh says "the severity of the situation and the danger it poses to all Canadians" warrants an emergency debate so parliamentarians can discuss potential actions to protect people. 

An NDP spokesperson said if Fergus approves the request, the debate could happen as early as Monday evening, once the regularly scheduled sitting of Parliament is over. 

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to face the most serious challenge to his leadership to date.

Several media reports have detailed that a group of Liberal MPs plan to confront Trudeau at the party's Wednesday caucus meeting over sagging poll numbers and gloomy electoral prospects.

The precise strategy and breadth of the attempt to push Trudeau to resign remain unclear, though some MPs who spoke to The Canadian Press on background said the number of members involved is significant.

Trudeau could sidestep both problems by taking the controversial step of proroguing Parliament, which would end the session and set the stage for a fresh throne speech.

Some political watchers have also mused that would allow time for the Liberals to hold leadership race if Trudeau were to step down. 

The prime minister plans to soon shuffle his cabinet to replace four ministers who don't plan to run again in the next election.

A general election must be held by October next year, but it could come sooner if the Liberals lose the confidence of the House.

MORE National ARTICLES

Hate crimes, protests, police costs surge since Middle East war: Vancouver police

Hate crimes, protests, police costs surge since Middle East war: Vancouver police
Vancouver Police say the Israel-Hamas war has fuelled hate crimes in the city and sparked far more protests than usual, with policing for the events costing millions. Police say they investigated 265 reports of hate crimes in 2023, a 31-per-cent jump from the previous year, including those related to South Asian, LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities. 

Hate crimes, protests, police costs surge since Middle East war: Vancouver police

Attempted murder charge in Surrey shooting

Attempted murder charge in Surrey shooting
More charges have been laid in a shooting in Surrey last April where a Calgary man was initially charged with attempted murder. RCMP say they began working with police in Calgary shortly after a man was shot and injured in a home in the Newton neighbourhood. 

Attempted murder charge in Surrey shooting

BC Ferries picks Netherlands-based company to build four more hybrid-electric ships

BC Ferries picks Netherlands-based company to build four more hybrid-electric ships
BC Ferries has awarded a contract to build four new hybrid-electric vessels to be ready to sail by 2027. The ferry corporation says in a statement that the contract has gone to Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group, the same company that built its last six ferries in the same Island Class of double-ended hybrid ships.  

BC Ferries picks Netherlands-based company to build four more hybrid-electric ships

Notley says she'll step down from Alberta NDP helm to make way for fresh voices

Notley says she'll step down from Alberta NDP helm to make way for fresh voices
Former premier Rachel Notley, after almost a decade at the helm of Alberta’s NDP, is stepping down from the top job. Notley, the official Opposition leader, said a leadership race will be called and she will stay on as leader until a replacement is chosen.

Notley says she'll step down from Alberta NDP helm to make way for fresh voices

Small cabinet shuffle in BC

Small cabinet shuffle in BC
A small cabinet shuffle in B-C has promoted Victoria's Grace Lore to the post of minister of children and family development. Premier David Eby announced the previous children's minister, Mitzi Dean, will now be the minister of state for child care.  

Small cabinet shuffle in BC

Day after Trump win in Iowa, Trudeau says U.S. faces choice between optimism, retreat

Day after Trump win in Iowa, Trudeau says U.S. faces choice between optimism, retreat
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says voters in the United States will face a choice later this year between optimism for the future or nostalgia for a past that never existed. Trudeau made the comments in Montreal today to a business crowd in reference to Donald Trump's victory Monday in the Iowa Republican caucuses, which gives the former president an early lead for the Republican nomination ahead of the November election. 

Day after Trump win in Iowa, Trudeau says U.S. faces choice between optimism, retreat