Rob Morrison, MP for Kootenay-Columbia is not pleased with the federal government’s plan to prorogue Parliament, believing it continues to suppress accountability in House of Commons.
On Monday, Bill Morneau announced his resignation as Federal Finance Minister, in the wake of the recent WE Charity scandal and with the recent expenditures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Tuesday, Chrystia Freeland is being sworn in as the new Finance Minister and is expected to keep her duties as the Deputy Prime Minister. As well, the federal government is looking to prorogue Parliament so they can return in October with a new throne speech and a full economic update.
MORE: Federal Finance Minister resigns from politics (August 17, 2020)
“We haven’t had Parliament since March 15th and without Parliament, you really can’t hold a government accountable and I’m sure the people of Kootenay-Columbia are wondering what’s going on and why are we not actually sitting in Ottawa, in Parliament, and holding the Liberals accountable,” Morrison told MyEastKootenayNow.com.
“To again prolong Parliament until October is ridiculous,” said Morrison. “We were all ready to go back in September, we wanted to see what the Liberals are going to do with having a plan to pay the money back that we had to use for COVID. Nobody has any issues of the money that was helping, especially some of the people who were laid off and that during COVID, but again, the only way to pay that bill back is through taxes. It’s almost unbelievable that the government of the day does not want to hold Parliament.”
As for Morneau’s resignation, Morrison said it “proves the government’s in chaos” and said his “firing” isn’t going to solve any problems.
“Every day we get some new details that emerge about the Trudeau WE scandal and they really paint a concerning picture of corruption at the highest levels of our government.”
“Bill Morneau was handpicked by Trudeau, they’ve moved together step-by-step the last five years and they’ve implemented some really disastrous policies, from their carbon tax to the tax base on small businesses,” added Morrison. “Then of course, their massive deficit spending, now of course, as a result of those policies, they’ve got to have a plan to pay that back and I’m sure they don’t.”
When asked about what the Conservatives would to do rectify the situation, Morrison said they would focus on supporting businesses.
“We need a smaller government and more business, we don’t need the government to be running businesses. The Conservative plan is to support businesses.”
“With the energy sector, whether its new green energy or whether its existing energy we need to support those programs to build a tax base and also entice international investments so that we can build Canada back up like it should be. We have a lot of great resources in Canada, let’s get those resources up and running and get our economy rolling again so we can get people back to work.”
See Rob Morrison’s official statements on Morneau’s resignation and Parliament being prorogued below:
Morneau’s Resignation
“Bill Morneau’s resignation is further proof of a government in chaos. At a time when Canadians are worried about their health and their finances, Justin Trudeau’s government is so consumed by scandal that Trudeau has amputated his right hand to try and save himself. Bill Morneau was Justin Trudeau’s handpicked Finance Minister. They have moved in lockstep for five years implementing troubling policy. From the Liberals’ carbon tax, to their tax hikes on small businesses, to their massive deficit spending, Trudeau and Morneau’s policies have hurt Canadians. Firing Bill Morneau does not solve the problem. Every day new details emerge in the Trudeau WE Scandal that paint a concerning picture of corruption at the highest levels of government. Until Justin Trudeau is no longer Prime Minister, nothing will change. Conservatives will continue to hold Justin Trudeau and his government accountable and we will keep fighting for the answers that Canadians deserve.”
Parliament Prorogued
“It has been reported that the government is planning to prorogue Parliament, hold a cabinet retreat (September 14-15) and recall the House in October for the Speech from the Throne.
Earlier this year, Justin Trudeau shut down Parliament to try and avoid accountability. Now he has locked out Opposition MPs who were working hard to fix his government’s pandemic programs, help Canadians and get to the bottom of his corruption scandal. Justin Trudeau is walking out on Canadians in the middle of a major health and economic crisis, in a disgraceful attempt to make Canadians forget about his corruption. At a time when Canadians are looking for stability and leadership, Justin Trudeau has given them corruption, chaos, and cover-ups. Canadians have serious questions about the Trudeau WE Scandal. They deserve better than a corrupt Prime Minister who uses the power of his office to shut down multiple investigations into his decision to hand $900 million of your tax dollars to his friends at WE. Hiding for two months won’t solve the Liberals’ ethical problems. As long as Justin Trudeau is Prime Minister, the corruption will continue. Conservatives will continue to hold Justin Trudeau and his government accountable and we will keep fighting for the answers that Canadians deserve.”