Friday, November 15, 2019 ~ NATIONAL
~ West Shore Voice News
Canada’s 43 Parliament will be convened by Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday December 5, 2019.
The Liberal minority-led 43 Parliament will begin with Members of Parliament (MPs) electing a new House of Commons Speaker. Then Governor General Julie Payette will preside over Trudeau’s throne speech in the Senate.
The election of a new speaker is done by secret ballot. The Speaker is an impartial overseer of parliamentary procedure and head of House administration.
In the throne speech, Trudeau will unveil his government’s priorities which are expected to include priorities from the 40-day election campaign including climate change, affordability and pharmacare.
In the general election on October 21 the Liberals achieved 157 seats, the Conservatives 121, Bloc Quebecois 32, NDP 24, and Greens won three seats. There is one independent MP.
Based on Trudeau’s meetings with federal opposition leaders this week, the interests or priorities of the Conservatives, NDP, Greens and Bloc Quebecois are likely to be reflected in the throne speech as well. For the Greens, Elizabeth May is still the head of the Greens’ three-member caucus in the House of Commons even though she has stepped down as Green Party leader.
MPs will then spend up to six days debating the throne speech. Members of Parliament will sit until December 13; the Senate may sit until December 20.
Trudeau is also meeting with each of the provincial premiers ahead of the throne speech. That will be in Toronto on Monday December 2.
Meanwhile, the prime minister is scheduled to unveil his new cabinet on November 20, with therefore just under two weeks for the freshly organized cabinet ministers to become acquainted with their files before taking their seats in the House of Commons.
Cabinet composition will require strategic attention to balancing all regional interests, particularly as no Liberal MPs were elected in the October 21 election in either Alberta or Saskatchewan.