Thursday September 12, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Members of Parliament (MPs) from across the country are heading back to Ottawa for the fall sitting of the House of Commons that starts on Monday September 16.
The fall session has 122 sitting days up to December 17 (with one week off in October for Thanksgiving and one week off in November for Remembrance Day).
Political unrest:
However, the fall sitting — and the current parliament — could end early if there is a non-confidence vote in which the Liberal government loses. That would throw Canadians into a federal election ahead of the currently scheduled date which is October 20, 2025.
Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said over recent days that he’s looking forward to debating Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on behalf of Canadians. But Poilievre has promised a non-confidence vote early in the session, as he hopes to launch the country into a ‘carbon tax election’.
The NDP recently ended their Supply and Confidence Agreement with the Liberals, which has restored parliament to a normal minority government status.
Canadians seem frustrated and may simply be seeking change for the sake of change, rather than looking at realistic outcomes.
Current party standings:
Currently seats held in the House of Commons are: Liberals 154, CPC 119, Bloc Quebecois 32, NDP 24, Green Party 2, Independent 3; and four seats are vacant.
A political party must have at least 12 members in the House of Commons to be a “recognized party” for the purposes of parliamentary proceedings.
Two by-elections next week:
Two by-elections are coming up on September 16 which could foreshadow how things might go in the next federal election:
- One race will be held in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun to fill the Quebec seat left vacant by the retirement of former Liberal cabinet minister David Lametti.
- The second byelection called Sunday will take place in Elmwood—Transcona to pick a successor for former Manitoba NDP MP Daniel Blaikie.
Seven MPs on Vancouver Island:
There are seven federal ridings on Vancouver Island, six of which are held by NDP MPs:
- Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) – NDP
- Rachel Blaney (North Island-Powell River) – NDP
- Laurel Collins (Victoria) – NDP
- Randall Garrison (Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke) – NDP
- Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni) – NDP
- Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford) – NDP
- Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands) – Green
Issues in this sitting are likely to include the current crises that are being experienced across the country including housing, health-care (including Pharmacare) and affordability.
===== RELATED:
- Liberals bring in Mark Carney to chair economic task force (September 9, 2024)
- Federal political landscape keeps shifting, think twice for Election 2025 (September 7, 2024)
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