Close X
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
ADVT 
National

PM should promise to avoid pandemic election: MPs

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Mar, 2021 10:51 PM
  • PM should promise to avoid pandemic election: MPs

A House of Commons committee is unanimously urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to promise he won't call a federal election while the COVID-19 pandemic rages across Canada.

In a report by the procedure and House affairs committee, even Liberal members supported a recommendation calling for a commitment that there will be no election during the pandemic, unless Trudeau's minority Liberal government is defeated on a confidence vote.

The committee makes no similar call for opposition parties to promise not to trigger an election during the pandemic by voting non-confidence in the government.

However, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has vowed his party won't vote to bring the government down as long as the country is in the grip of COVID-19.

That should be enough to ensure the survival of the minority Liberal government for the foreseeable future, unless Trudeau decides to trigger an election himself.

Trudeau has repeatedly insisted he has no interest in forcing an election but opposition parties remain suspicious.

"Unfortunately, the Liberal government has already indicated their desire to recklessly send Canadians to the polls at whatever time they deem to be the most advantageous for the prime minister," the Conservatives say in a supplementary report to the committee's report.

Indeed, the Conservatives assert, without explanation, that Trudeau has already tried to orchestrate his government's defeat.

They thank Liberal committee members for taking "a stand against the whims of the prime minister, who has been eagerly pressing towards an election for the last few months."

At the same time, Conservatives have been pursuing a strategy that could give Trudeau justification for calling an election: They've been systematically blocking the government's legislative agenda, including repeatedly delaying a bill authorizing billions in pandemic-related aid.

They have also blocked debate on a bill that would give Elections Canada special powers to conduct an election safely, if need be, during the pandemic.

Bill C-19 is the government's response to chief electoral officer Stephane Perrault, who has said special measures are urgent given that a minority government is inherently unstable and could theoretically fall at any time. However, some opposition MPs view the legislation as proof that the Liberals are planning to trigger an election.

In their own supplementary report, New Democrats argue that an election in the midst of the pandemic "has the potential to undermine the health of our democracy." They point to the current delay in Newfoundland and Labrador's election due to a COVID outbreak as an example of the "delays, confusion and unforeseen barriers in voting" that could undermine Canadians' confidence in the outcome of a federal election.

"This raises the spectre of a government whose political legitimacy is openly challenged," the NDP committee members say, adding that could lead to the kind of crisis that provoked a riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by supporters of former president Donald Trump.

The Capitol riot, sparked by Trump's unfounded claims that mail-in ballots were fraudulent, appears to have been on the minds of opposition committee members when it comes to other recommendations for how to safely conduct an election, if necessary, during the pandemic.

Anticipating a massive increase in mail-in ballots, the chief electoral officer has, among other things, suggested that mail-in ballots received one day after the close of in-person polls should still be counted.

The Conservatives say the procedure and House affairs committee should have rejected that proposal, arguing that "the election should end on Election Day and Canadians deserve to know the results without delay."

Bloc Quebecois committee members, in their supplementary report, similarly argue that extending the deadline for receipt of mail-in ballots "would delay the election results, which would fuel voter suspicion and undermine confidence in the electoral system, which is obviously undesirable."

MORE National ARTICLES

In-person gatherings important, says church lawyer

In-person gatherings important, says church lawyer
Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson said during a hearing on Tuesday people are still free to hold and express religious views and it's the safety of those who are gathering that's at issue.

In-person gatherings important, says church lawyer

One Arrested After Gasoline Poured On Tent, Occupants Threatened

One Arrested After Gasoline Poured On Tent, Occupants Threatened
The tent was occupied by a woman and her dog at the time of the incident. Patrol officers attended and located the suspect in Cecilia Ravine Park.

One Arrested After Gasoline Poured On Tent, Occupants Threatened

A look at the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine

A look at the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
On the one hand, Health Canada says Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine has been deemed safe for seniors and points to emerging real-world data that shows it can protect older citizens against symptomatic infection.

A look at the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine

5.6M in funding for drug-dispensing machines

5.6M in funding for drug-dispensing machines
The machines, called MySafe, are similar to ATMs and allow drug users at risk of overdose to get hydromorphone pills dispensed to them after their palm has been scanned.

5.6M in funding for drug-dispensing machines

Ontario waits for guidance as B.C. delays 2nd dose

Ontario waits for guidance as B.C. delays 2nd dose
Alberto Martin, a University of Toronto immunology professor, says a published clinical trial showed the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine provided 60 per cent protection, but B.C. may have access to new or unpublished data.

Ontario waits for guidance as B.C. delays 2nd dose

Mounties who shot at other RCMP won't face charges

Mounties who shot at other RCMP won't face charges
The Serious Incident Response team concludes the officers who fired their guns had been told the killer was driving a replica police vehicle and was wearing an orange vest, giving them grounds to believe the officer standing beside a patrol car was the murderer.

Mounties who shot at other RCMP won't face charges

PrevNext