Editor's note: This article originally appeared on ParliamentToday, a Village Media newsletter devoted exclusively to covering federal politics.
OTTAWA — The Conservatives slammed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to prorogue Parliament as “selfish” on Tuesday, arguing it means Canada will be “limping along” for several weeks before the Liberals choose a new leader.
Conservative Party of Canada House leader Andrew Scheer said the Liberals don't have a "clear mandate” from Canadians amid the PM’s decision to step down as party leader once a new one is chosen through a leadership race.
He told Parliament Hill reporters the country could have been in a “position of strength" if an election were held in fall 2024.
Scheer added this would have sent U.S. president-elect Donald Trump a message that Ottawa would not tolerate any tariff threats, especially as Trump said Tuesday that he’s willing to use "economic force” to make Canada the 51st state.
Instead, cabinet ministers possibly interested in the party leadership will be distracted from their efforts to dissuade Trump’s team from moving ahead with those tariffs, he argued.
“We could be tackling all these issues,” Scheer said.
He noted that prorogation means that all parliamentary business has been shut down, including the public accounts committee, where his party was supposed to begin discussions about bringing forth a non-confidence motion upon the House’s originally scheduled return on Jan. 27.
But with Trudeau’s move to prorogue until March 24, Scheer said the PM “effectively moved the inevitable date” where opposition MPs are expected to pull their support of the government.
“Those are two extra months of uncertainty and chaos and misery that Canadians will have to live through. It puts our country in an incredibly dangerous position when dealing with the U.S.," he said.
On Monday, Trudeau did not confirm whether ministers aspiring for his job will have to leave cabinet to mount their bids, though names are already being floated.
Ex-Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney is considering a run, while former Liberal MP Frank Baylis said he also intends to throw his hat into the ring.
Whoever the party elects as its new leader, it’s clear the Conservatives' strategy will be to align them with Trudeau and his record.
Scheer said “nothing will change” as possible leader contenders — at least those known so far — have either supported the PM or have been “chief architects” of his agenda.
“It has nothing to do with the personality of the man. It has everything to do with the policies that have been inflicted upon Canadians,” he said.
