Trudeau has prorogued Parliament. Here’s what that means

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said he has prorogued Parliament to allow the Liberal Party to hold a leadership contest, and will resign after his successor is chosen.

Trudeau said Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has agreed with his request to prorogue Parliament until March 24.

The move means opposition parties can’t trigger an election with a non-confidence motion before the Liberals have a new leader, and all parliamentary business has stopped.

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Speaking to reporters, Trudeau defended his move as necessary to clear a legislative standstill in the House of Commons, and expressed confidence his government would survive a confidence vote when Parliament returns.

“It’s time for a reset,” he said.

“It’s time for the temperature to come down, for the people to have a fresh start in Parliament, to be able to navigate through these complex times both domestically and internationally.”

Here’s what happens during prorogation and how Trudeau’s move compares to past uses of the tool.

Prorogation is the term used for “the termination of a session” of Parliament and is used to “terminate business,” relieving members of their parliamentary duties in the process.

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All legislation before the House of Commons and the Senate dies until the next session begins, and all committees cease to function.

That includes the House of Commons public accounts committee, which was set to meet Tuesday to begin discussions on a motion of non-confidence against the government.

The current government remains in power during prorogation.

Under parliamentary rules, members of Parliament and senators are released from their duties and no committees can sit during the prorogation period.

“Bills which have not received Royal Assent before prorogation are ‘entirely terminated’ and, in order to be proceeded with in the new session, must be reintroduced as if they had never existed,” the rules state.

Several high-profile government spending plans are now in limbo — most critically the $1.3-billion border security plan included in the fall economic statement.

That plan was introduced to answer demands from incoming U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian imports unless Ottawa beefs up security at the Canada-U.S. border.

Other bills that are effectively dead include measures to crack down on child pornography and exploitation first outlined in the Online Harms Act, the First Nations Clean Water Act, and updates to the military justice system, railway and port safety laws, and cybersecurity protections.

A spokesperson for the public inquiry into foreign interference said prorogation will not impact the commission’s work. Its final report is still scheduled to be submitted to the government no later than Jan. 31.

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Reconvening requires a new speech from the throne, or a new declaration from the government of its vision outlining legislative priorities for which it must get support from at least one other party in a minority government scenario.

The decision to prorogue Parliament is taken by the governor general “on the advice of the Prime Minister,” the rules state.

Trudeau last prorogued Parliament in August 2020, a decision he said was taken to give time for the government to lay out its plan for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, the Liberals were facing four separate parliamentary committees studying the government’s conduct in the WE Charity scandal.

During the most recent session, business in the House of Commons ground to a halt for months over Conservative allegations of corruption related to a since-dissolved green investment fund, and the Liberals’ refusal to turn over documents in an order by the House Speaker.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper prorogued in 2008 ahead of an anticipated confidence vote, a move that was the subject of heated scrutiny and debate.

Trudeau vowed in the 2015 Liberal platform: “We will not resort to legislative tricks to avoid scrutiny. Stephen Harper has used prorogation to avoid difficult political circumstances. We will not.”

Yet on Monday, Trudeau pointed out Harper ultimately survived that confidence vote after Parliament reconvened.

“This prorogation will take us only into March,” Trudeau said.

“There will be confidence votes in March in the passing of supply that will allow Parliament to weigh in on confidence, in a way that is entirely in keeping with all the principles of democracy and the workings of our strong institutions.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Monday his party will vote against the next throne speech.

That, along with previously stated vows from the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois to vote non-confidence in the Liberal government, makes it all but certain an election will be triggered when Parliament reconvenes.

—With files from Global’s Uday Rana