Dear Friends,

Last week I told you that the Conservatives introduced a motion to declare Parliament an essential service and resume our normal calendar.

Instead of adopting this motion, the Trudeau Liberals, with the support of the NDP and the Green Party amidst the vociferous opposition of the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois, suspended Parliament until September.

In its place, they have created the “COVID-19 Committee”, a creation of Parliament, without most of the tools needed to truly hold a government accountable.

Without Parliament, there are no Opposition Day motions to force votes on important issues such as demanding an update on the state of Canada’s finances. There are no emergency debates to compel action on issues like the Communist Chinese government’s destruction of Hong Kong’s democracy or the horrific reports of elder abuse at long term care homes brought to light by our brave Canadian Forces members.

We cannot introduce or debate Private Member’s Bills, nor force the government to publish documents that Canadians deserve to see.

We cannot even debate or adopt committee reports, rendering even our committees toothless.

It has long been clear that the Prime Minister has little regard Parliament.

When he first came to power, he sought to change the rules so that he only needed to show up to answer questions one day each week. The public outcry forced him to back down, but it would appear his views have not changed.

In the words of the indomitable Rex Murphy:

“Trudeau is either scared of the House of Commons, or he has no regard for it. Perhaps it’s both.” 

I said last week that Trudeau wants an audience, not an Opposition. His actions this week have confirmed this.

Trudeau and his sudden allies in the NDP and Green Party should be ashamed of their actions. Nothing is worth bargaining away our democracy.  They have undermined the role of Parliament in our democracy, disenfranchising not only those Canadians represented by Opposition Parties, but those represented by backbench Liberal MPs as well.

Parliament is not a nuisance to be avoided on the way to another vanity press conference, it is the voice and advocate of the Canadian people. And one way or another, the Canadian people will be heard.

If you want your voice heard by the Prime Minister right now, you can sign this petition sponsored by my colleague MP Cathay Wagantall, calling for an immediate return of Parliament.

While we are still lacking many of the tools we need to hold this government to account, be assured that our Conservative caucus will use those tools we have – such as the reformed Question Period – to advocate for you, the Canadian people.

I hope this information has been of interest to you.

Sincerely,

Kelly Block, MP