Close X
Thursday, November 7, 2024
ADVT 
National

Poll suggests more than half of Canadians unaware of gridlock in House of Commons

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Oct, 2024 04:17 PM
  • Poll suggests more than half of Canadians unaware of gridlock in House of Commons

A debate has ground work in the House of Commons to a halt for weeks, but a new poll suggests that most Canadians are not even aware it's happening. 

In a new survey from polling firm Leger, 55 per cent of respondents said they had not heard about the procedural issues that have gridlocked Parliament for more than 12 sitting days. 

The issue stems from a privilege motion that was raised by the Conservatives about a green-tech fund that was found to have misspent government money. 

The Tories have vowed to continue debate on their motion until the Liberals hand over unredacted documents about the fund to Parliament and the RCMP.

The government provided redacted versions of those documents to the House of Commons in August, and the RCMP say they also have that information. 

However, the Mounties have raised doubts about whether they could legally use documents given to them by Parliament as part of an investigation, and the Liberals are so far refusing to release the unredacted versions.

Matters of privilege take priority over all other business in the House of Commons until they are settled.

The poll suggests that roughly the same amount of people think the Liberals and the Conservatives bear responsibility for the issue, at 27 per cent each. However, 26 per cent of those who took the poll said they do not know who is responsible.

The governing Liberals could end the debate if they had the support of another party for a motion of their own. 

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said Wednesday his party would support such a motion if the government finds a way to pass two Bloc bills on old age security and supply management.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the Liberals continue to talk with both the Bloc and the NDP about bringing forward a motion to curtail the debate. 

A plurality of people who took the Leger poll, 39 per cent, said the government and opposition parties should work together to solve the issues. That was the most popular option among people who said they were supporters of the Liberals and the NDP. 

Holding an election to break the gridlock was the most popular option among Conservative voters who took the survey.

Despite a majority of respondents signalling that they were unaware of the procedural issues in the House of Commons, 61 per cent of indicated that they think Parliament is not working efficiently.

Even after the debate on the current motion has been settled, a second matter of privilege raised by the Conservatives is awaiting debate in the House of Commons. 

Question period and committee meetings have still been happening but the government is not able to advance its own agenda and opposition parties cannot proceed with opposition day motions during the debate.

The Leger poll gathered input from 1,500 Canadian adults in an online survey between Oct. 18 and 21. 

The poll cannot be assigned a margin of error because online surveys are not considered truly random samples.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Most Canadians view about Online News Act is news should be free, survey suggests

Most Canadians view about Online News Act is news should be free, survey suggests
The law, which comes into effect later this year, will force digital giants such as Google to compensate media outlets for content that is shared or otherwise repurposed on their platforms. About three out of every four respondents said they were aware of the Online News Act, formerly known as Bill C-18, with 34 per cent of respondents saying the law is a good thing to help media outlets that compete for advertising dollars with tech giants.  

Most Canadians view about Online News Act is news should be free, survey suggests

Canada on track to meet, exceed methane emission reduction goal by 2030: Trudeau

Canada on track to meet, exceed methane emission reduction goal by 2030: Trudeau
Canada is on track to hit and even surpass targets for reducing oilpatch methane emissions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday, as the UN sought to hold leaders to account for their climate commitments. Draft regulations that are due before the end of the year will allow Canada to meet or even exceed its goal of slashing methane from the oil and gas sector by 75 per cent from 2012 levels by 2030.

Canada on track to meet, exceed methane emission reduction goal by 2030: Trudeau

Poilievre introduces housing bill, plan focuses on getting cities to build more homes

Poilievre introduces housing bill, plan focuses on getting cities to build more homes
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has introduced a private member's bill in the House of Commons that outlines a plan to address the national housing crisis.  The bill, which is unlikely to pass, centres around using federal infrastructure and transit spending to push cities to build more homes.  

Poilievre introduces housing bill, plan focuses on getting cities to build more homes

Vancouver police boost security at Indian Consulate since Trudeau remarks on killing

Vancouver police boost security at Indian Consulate since Trudeau remarks on killing
Const. Tania Visintin, the department's media relations officer, says police are "closely monitoring the situation" since Trudeau's announcement about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a vocal supporter of an independent Sikh homeland, who was shot dead in Surrey in June. She says Vancouver police aren't aware of any specific threats to Indian consular officials, but have increased police presence at the downtown Vancouver consulate.   

Vancouver police boost security at Indian Consulate since Trudeau remarks on killing

Four firefighters heading home die in vehicle crash on B.C. road: government

Four firefighters heading home die in vehicle crash on B.C. road: government
Four firefighters travelling home after battling British Columbia's wildfires have died in a road crash. Premier David Eby and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston say in a joint statement the firefighters died in a motor vehicle accident near Cache Creek in the B.C. Interior.

Four firefighters heading home die in vehicle crash on B.C. road: government

911 phone service for seniors

911 phone service for seniors
Vancouver police are offering free 9-1-1 cellphones to seniors who can’t afford their own phone. Police say in a statement that seniors on fixed or low incomes are sometimes less inclined to rely on technology for safety, especially if it involves a monthly cost.

911 phone service for seniors