RANDALL WHITE, CANADA’S CAPITAL FROM 4 ½ HOURS WEST. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2024. [UPDATED NOVEMBER 30, DECEMBER 3 : See below]. Even a close observer cannot see much of the Canadian House of Commons from the capital city of Ontario (which like both the province and the country at large boasts an Indigenous North American name).

At the same time, you can read what people who in one way or another watch the Parliament of Canada for a living write. If you have great patience you can also watch both the elected House and unelected Senate of Canada on TV, via the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) or online at cpac.ca (or still more recently at Parliament’s own ParlVU).

I often enough have patience for the former — the latter only once in a while. Having lately spent a half hour watching the House on TV I have been reminded as well why I seldom follow this at best lame public entertainment — and unrivaled bad political joke at worst.

Most recently, in Canada’s federal parliamentary democracy, headquartered in semi-cosmopolitan Ottawa (once a mere “last lumber village before the North Pole”), the bad joke has become the new normal. Consider these recent headlines :

“Parliament ‘ground to a halt’ over Conservative allegations of Liberal corruption.” Laura Osman and Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press. October 3, 2024.

“Why has Parliament’s work been paralyzed for more than a week? Standoff over documents related to failed clean tech fund has brought normal business to a halt.” John Paul Tasker CBC News. October 9, 2024.

“No clear end in sight as House of Commons gridlock approaches 2-month mark. MPs have been debating a privilege motion since late September, putting other House business on hold.” Darren Major, CBC News. November 19, 2024.

“Canada isn’t broken, but Parliament currently is. Why hasn’t Parliament debated or passed any legislation for almost 30 sitting days?” Nate Erskine-Smith, Uncommons, November 20, 2024.

I should stress here that Nate Erskine-Smith in this last piece is a Liberal MP — for the federal electoral district, as it happens, in which I reside myself. As others in (and out of) my neighbourhood will nonetheless attest, Mr Erskine-Smith is an MP with a mind of his own.

I think the conclusion to his recent piece on Canada’s current broken Parliament is worth thinking about, whatever your partisan political faith : “So, to sum it up: after significant documentary production and countless hours of testimony, there’s no evidence of criminality. The documents cannot be used by the RCMP in any event. And the order amounts to an abuse of parliamentary process.

“There is good reason to criticize what happened at SDTC [Sustainable Development Technology Canada, an independent crown corporation supporting clean tech]. Too much public funding was at stake for such a cavalier approach to record keeping and managing conflicts.

“But the opposition has also gone far too far, throwing around accusations of corruption and criminality without any justification. I just sat through yet another meeting earlier tonight where Conservatives accused the former SDTC chair of self-dealing and insider trading, without offering any evidence at all. They’ve tried to smear her as a “Liberal insider”, knowing full well that she’s previously served in appointed roles under Brian Mulroney, Stephen Harper, and Jim Flaherty.

“They are in the business of character assassination, facts be damned.”

UPDATE NOVEMBER 30 : According to Darren Major at CBC News : “Last week, [Liberal minority-governing PM Justin] Trudeau announced a multi-billion-dollar affordability package that includes a proposed two-month GST holiday on some goods and services — including children’s toys, beer and wine and restaurant meals — and a plan to send $250 cheques to the 18.7 million people in Canada who worked in 2023 and earned $150,000 or less.”

Mr. Major goes on : “The House of Commons passed a bill to enact the tax holiday on Thursday [November 28], but the government didn’t include the rebate cheque portion after the NDP promised to withhold its support if the government didn’t split the promises into two pieces of legislation.”

So … viewed from some 4 and ½ hours west it would seem that the logjam in Canada’s elected parliament was broken at least briefly on November 28 by the passage of the bill to enact the tax holiday — thanks to crucial support for the Liberal minority government from the New Democrats (and much, much less crucial but certainly welcome support from the 2-member Green Party).

The NDP determination to keep at least some light between themselves and the Liberals on the details of the o-so-crazy-but plan to mail out $250 cheques may nonetheless finally just add fuel to the logjam in the House, so to speak? Meanwhile, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is apparently planning yet another quick-election triggering motion of non-confidence in the Liberal minority government shortly. He seems to believe that his own recurrent shameless behaviour can somehow shame NDP leader Jagmeet Singh into supporting the motion this time.

UPDATE DECEMBER 3 : For the most recent twists and turns in what does seem an increasingly confusing issue see Dylan Robertson’s Canadian Press piece of December 2 : “Speaker schedules opposition motions after Tories block own non-confidence vote … Opposition days scheduled for Thursday and Friday.” I’ll be doing my best to keep up with all this nonsense in Ottawa, from the hidden depths of Ontario’s capital city. Cheers.