Trudeau expects ‘obstructionism’ to Liberal agenda as Parliament returns

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is counting on the Bloc Quebecois and the NDP to help his minority Liberal government get things done in the face of what he anticipates will be “obstructionism” by the Conservatives.

In an interview with The Canadian Press ahead of Parliament’s return Monday after a six-week break, Trudeau made it clear he doesn’t just want the smaller, more ideologically compatible opposition parties to support the passage of Liberal bills. Read more: As Trudeau nears end of first 100 days, here’s what’s left on key to-do list He wants them to support measures to cut off debate and force votes on bills if the official Opposition Conservatives resort to procedural tricks to stall progress on the legislative agenda, as they frequently did during his first minority mandate. “We know and we’ve seen it, the Conservatives are going to continue to try and play whatever partisan games they can, regardless of the consequence on Canadians.

They’re much more focused on their own interests right now than they are on the interests of Canadians,” he said. “We will be very, very open to working with the other parties, hearing their priorities moving forward because it’s not just about saying, ‘OK, we can agree on the things that need to happen.’ We have to help make them happen as well in a House where the Conservatives are choosing to block as much as they possibly can.” During the last Parliament, all parties came together to swiftly pass legislation creating hundreds of billions of dollars worth of pandemic benefits to help individuals and businesses stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.