New government House leader sworn in. What are his priorities?

Liberal MP Steven MacKinnon was sworn in as government House leader Monday at Rideau Hall, outlining his priorities for what he called a “consequential session of Parliament.”

MacKinnon represents Gatineau, Que., and was the government’s former chief whip. He’s taking over temporarily from Karina Gould, who went on maternity leave last week. The Liberal MP from Burlington, Ont., is expecting her second child this month.

In his new role, MacKinnon will be responsible for managing the government’s day-to-day business in the House of Commons and handling the legislative agenda.

While speaking to reporters in Ottawa, MacKinnon said passing pharmacare legislation is a top “priority” when the House returns on Jan. 29.

“Canadians are looking for relief and a more filled-in safety net when it comes to pharmaceuticals,” MacKinnon said. “This is something we treat with the utmost importance.”

Pharmacare is a core pillar of the NDP and Liberals’ supply and confidence agreement, needed to keep the minority Liberals in power until 2025.

The deadline to table pharmacare legislation was pushed back to March 1, 2024. It was supposed to pass before the end of 2023, but the parties haven’t been able to reach a consensus on a framework for a deal.

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Other pieces of legislation are also stuck in a holding pattern, including a bill to force operators of critical infrastructure to increase security in the face of growing online threats.

MacKinnon said the Liberals will have “a lot more to say” as the session unfolds, but added Canadians can expect a heavy focus on housing affordability and increasing competition in the grocery sector.

“We remain laser-focused on those issues,” he said.

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But there are concerns that deepening partisan bickering is drowning out important conversations about the “issues.”

In an interview with Global News last month, several exiting MPs shared their views on the state of Canadian politics and described a “toxic atmosphere.”

MacKinnon vowed to work with opposition parties in his new role and strike a more positive tone.

“I would agree. The climate and the atmosphere inside the House of Commons is not one that I would recommend to people as a workplace,” he said when asked about the report.

“We can do better. There’s no question we can do better.”

MacKinnon insists every party needs to learn how to find common ground.

“What we won’t tolerate is opposition without alternative,” said MacKinnon, referring to when the Conservatives forced a marathon session in Parliament last month to protest the carbon price.

“I think Canadians quite rightly throw up their hands at these kinds of tactics,” he said.