TIME FOR HOUSE TO MOVE ALONG

by Susan Riley (Ottawa Citizen), reprinted in The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon), Thursday, May 26, 2005

Now that we have been granted a reprieve from a mostly unwanted election, how long will it last, and what will our chastened MPs do with this second chance?

If they listen to voters, from now until Parliament rises at the end of June, they will hit the books. No more goofing off; no more stupid bickering in the hallways; no more calling names. No more sex, lies and audiotapes.

Instead, there will be an all-party drive to clean up a festering legislative backlog, approve the recent budget compromise whether everyone likes it or not, and give legal force to a list of vintage Liberal promises -- and quickly, before the economy sours or the prime minister has another brainwave and reorders his priorities.

That may be asking too much. With luck, this fractious bunch will pass a number of housekeeping bills -- amending the Patent Act, re-organizing government departments, giving themselves a two-per-cent salary raise (mustn't forget that one!) -- before retiring to their cottages and a much-deserved summer break. For us, at least.

Unfortunately, this would leave several important initiatives dangling. The same-sex marriage bill, for example, is back before a special Commons legislative committee, having passed by a comfortable margin (164-137) in the House on May 4. The committee is intended to examine only the technical merits of the legislation (which is fairly straightforward). The larger issues have already been covered in an extensive debate in the Commons, in travelling sessions of the Commons justice committee last winter, in the media and from the pulpit. It is hard to imagine any argument that has been left unheard.

Nonetheless, the Conservative party and several Liberal MPs remain opposed to same-sex marriage and appear determined to filibuster in committee in hopes of stalling any vote until fall or later. If they succeed, it would amount to a determined minority thwarting the will
of the majority. Procedural experts say only a specific intervention by the government to return the bill to the Commons for a final vote would ensure its passage.

But that could be risky for Paul Martin. What if it drives Liberal MP Pat O'Brien, a stout opponent of same-sex marriage, to resume his flirtation with the Conservatives? In a Parliament this evenly divided (even after Tuesday's Labrador byelection), no party can afford to lose anyone.

Indeed, proponents of equal marriage fear that Martin, who was a late convert to the cause, will be inclined to let all controversial social issues slide -- including a bill to decriminalize marijuana and another to regulate child pornography -- rather than provoking social conservatives in so fraught a political atmosphere.

Then there is the Opposition, still, sadly, prone to unproductive distractions. There are several Opposition days scheduled between now and June 23, the first coming on Monday when Parliament ends a one-week break. On any of these days, an Opposition party can propose its own confidence motion that, if successful, would defeat the government.

This isn't widely seen as a wise strategy, given that last week's nail-biter probably satisfied any national appetite for drama for some time. But there is no telling what may arise to irritate Stephen Harper, notwithstanding a certain reserve among his own troops for an immediate election. The Conservative leader is wounded, but still
hungry. (The same is true of Gilles Duceppe, although he may not have as much to lose as Harper does in waiting until March for a vote.)

In any event, the litmus test of whether this minority Parliament actually produces anything will be the budget. While both budget bills -- the original Ralph-Goodale effort and the addendum fashioned to please the New Democrats -- passed last week, the trial isn't over.

Now the Commons finance committee will study the bills, and it is dominated by Opposition MPs. Conservative MP Peter MacKay hints that his party may resume its push to have the Atlantic Accord, which earmarks $2.8 billion in offshore oil revenues for Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, separated from the main budget. That way, the Conservatives can vote for the accord and against promises of more money for affordable housing, the environment and education.

The problem with that strategy is that polls suggest Canadians like the budget -- the original, and the enriched version. The smart thing, the kind thing, would be for all involved to pass the budget, before June, and, please, move on.