The more accurate news ... on Friday, the House of Commons cancelled its sitting and agreed to meet today and Sunday in advance of Monday’s vote on the Emergency Act. Despite police operations outside the chambers today, they were meeting and debating. If you’re familiar with the layout of the Canadian parliament, the chambers of House and Senate are in the large building with the “peace tower” but that is being renovated and the House has been meeting in a chamber in the “West Block” which is about two hundred yards west of the main edifice.
Attention is turning to how that vote is going to go, two parties (Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois) have declared an intention to vote against, the leftist NDP have been rather vague although seem to be leaning towards supporting Trudeau in which case the combined numbers would be just enough, to extend the force of the Act a further thirty days, assuming the Senate then ratifies it. The Senate is probably not a slam dunk either. If some number of Liberal and NDP “back bench” members abstain or vote with the opposition, then the Act could be terminated. This would probably lead to a non-confidence motion and the dissolution of parliament and new elections. That is not necessarily a great thing since Trudeau seems to have the support of many or at least some beyond his base which won’t desert unless they sense an electoral disaster looming (then the knives will come out and the caucus will get rid of him).
I’m going to think that these suspensions and delays are occurring is because he doesn’t have the votes in the Senate. I’ve always wondered about the role of the Senate in Canada, All I know is that it is completely different from ours.