Canadian politics: Parliament on 8th week of gridlock

OTTAWA –

Parliament closes in on its eighth week of gridlock over a privilege motion, as Canada Post employees are on strike and calls emerge to exclude Mexico from upcoming trade talks.

While question period has continued, other house business is on hold due to a Conservative privilege motion calling on the government to turn over unredacted documents on a green technology fund.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and some members of his cabinet are not in Ottawa for the first half of the week, as they attend the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Lima, Peru this weekend, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said many nations have been approaching Canada on how to work with the incoming Donald Trump administration in the United States.

The Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement signed during the first Trump presidency is up for review in 2026, and the premiers of Ontario and Alberta say Canada should oust Mexico from the deal over not matching Canadian and American tariffs on imports like electric vehicles. Trudeau says Mexico is a “solid partner,” but acknowledged the concerns.

Meanwhile back in Canada, Canada Post workers hit the picket line Friday, and Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon says that he is ruling out early intervention for now, though he recently ordered binding arbitration in recent job action at ports in Montreal and British Columbia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2024