What does a prorogued parliament mean for Saskatoon?

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Uncertainty has been lingering in Canada’s federal political scene after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation and the proroguing of parliament, but that unpredictability hasn’t spilled over into Saskatoon’s current dealings with the feds, the city’s mayor says.

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Trudeau made the announcement Monday that he would be stepping down as prime minister, and that parliament would be prorogued until March 24 following a Liberal leadership race. This means all members of parliament are released from their parliamentary duties until parliament is summoned again, and all unfinished business is dropped. Any bill that had not received royal assent before Trudeau’s announcement must be reintroduced once parliament comes back.

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While parliament is at a standstill, Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block said plans involving federal government funding are continuing as set out.

“At this time I don’t see any reason to have a concern about any interruption of any federal programs that the city is involved with,” she said in an interview.

Block said that while many people say they were shocked by Trudeau’s resignation, she finds that hard to believe.

“It’s been talked about for quite some time and it seemed to me that this was coming,” Block added.

It’s business as usual, therefore, for the municipal government, even with questions over which party and which leader will be running the country in the coming months.

The Conservative Party of Canada has said it will do away with the Housing Accelerator Fund if voted into office. While a new federal government may have its own plans on how best to deliver needed housing across Canada, Block said that shouldn’t change the fact that agreements are already in place.

“I have confidence that the agreements that we have made with the federal government will be upheld,” Block said.

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“It would be a little bit like trying to stop the library right now. The contracts are signed, the money has been allocated, I think it would be very, very difficult to roll something like that back.”

Block said homelessness and housing are top of mind for Canadians across the country right now, and she hopes that any change in the federal plan would only enhance these deals.

Premier Scott Moe made his thoughts known this week on Trudeau’s announcement, saying that suspending parliament to allow the Liberal Party to choose a new leader is not giving Canadians the choice they deserve.

“I reiterate my call for an immediate election so that Canadians may choose who will represent them,” Moe said.

Trudeau joins a short list of Canadian prime ministers who have resigned: Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien, and his own father, Pierre Trudeau.

Trudeau had consistently signalled over the past year he intended to remain at the helm despite growing calls he step down. But the decisive blow that shattered his grip on the party reins came when Chrystia Freeland suddenly resigned as minister of finance and deputy prime minister on Dec. 16, after Trudeau had informed her he was going to move her out of the finance portfolio.

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Her departure, hours before she was to table the fall economic statement in the House of Commons, sent shock waves through the governing party.

Questions about Trudeau’s future have swirled since support for his party began to tumble in 2023. The Liberals have trailed the Conservatives by more than 20 points for more than a year now.

Trudeau said he asked for Parliament to be prorogued because the House of Commons has been paralyzed for months through obstruction and needs a reset. This move will shutter the House for two months, wipe clear the current slate of legislation and delay any opportunities for non-confidence votes that could trigger an election until it resumes in spring.

— With Canadian Press files

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