OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will unveil on Oct. 26 the roster of cabinet ministers who will shepherd his government into a third mandate focused on finishing the fight against COVID-19 and rebuilding the pandemic-ravaged economy.
His ministers will then have about a month to settle into their jobs before Parliament is recalled on Nov. 22 — just over two months after the Sept. 20 election returned Trudeau’s Liberals with a second consecutive minority.
The timing of Parliament’s return, announced Friday by the Prime Minister’s Office, was slammed by opposition parties who accused Trudeau of being uninterested in getting back to work. In a written statement, Trudeau’s office said the prime minister plans to talk by phone with opposition leaders early next week to discuss Canadians’ priorities and how the House of Commons should resume operations as the fourth wave of the pandemic continues to rage.
Among the first orders of business, the statement said, will be working with opposition leaders to ensure all members of Parliament are fully vaccinated before setting foot in the Commons — an issue on which the Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and NDP are in agreement.
But it creates a potential conflict with Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, who has refused so far to disclose how many of his MPs have had two shots and who continues to defend the right of individuals to make their own personal health choices.
At the same time, the Conservatives want the Commons to resume normal, in-person operations and are adamantly opposed to any continuation of the hybrid model — with only a small number of MPs physically in the chamber and the rest participating virtually — used during the earlier waves of the pandemic.
Mandatory vaccination was a central pillar of the Liberals’ election campaign and, since the Sept. 20 vote, Trudeau has moved quickly to deliver on his promise to require proof of vaccination for federal employees and anyone planning to board a plane or train.
His office said requiring MPs in the Commons to be fully vaccinated is a matter of showing leadership.“Canadians expect their elected representatives to lead by example in the fight against this virus, and the Prime Minister will be raising this with other leaders,” the statement said.
Once Parliament is back, the statement suggested, extending pandemic support benefits will be high on the agenda……….
Source: ctvnews.ca
Friday, April 17, 2026
