Governor-General Mary Simon is providing royal assent this week to a number of government bills, capping a fractious political season for a House of Commons that has just risen for summer break.
There were eight bills on the agenda for Ms. Simon’s presence in the Senate on Thursday. They included C-70, an Act Respecting Countering Foreign Interference, which followed intense debate over foreign powers seeking to intervene in Canadian affairs.
The matter has been the subject of a continuing public inquiry, now looking at the findings of a report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, which says that some parliamentarians are “semi-witting or witting” participants in foreign-interference efforts.
Ahead of royal assent, through which legislation becomes law, Bill C-70 received Senate approval on Wednesday. It includes a move to enact a foreign-influence transparency registry, which would require certain individuals to register with the federal government to help act against such actions.
Goldy Hyder, president and chief executive officer of the Business Council of Canada, said he was pleased to see the legislation cross the line into law.
“Today Parliamentarians demonstrated that when it comes to national security, they can work together cooperatively and efficiently to the benefit of all Canadians,” Mr. Hyder said in a statement, noting that business leaders have called for economic security measures.
He said Bill C-70 “will better protect lives and livelihoods by providing the federal government with essential tools to counter increasingly pervasive and sophisticated threats to our country.”
Other bills awaiting royal assent are key pieces of the federal Liberal agenda, including enacting the fall economic statement that brought in some new measures as well as legislation to require the environment minister to develop a national strategy to deal with environmental racism.
There’s also a sustainable jobs act on how government must help prepare energy workers for new skills and job requirements looming with a global transition to clean energy.
Legislation to enact the federal budget was also expected to be approved.
Although there was business support for Bill C-70, some in that community criticized aspects of the economic statement, with Jessica Brandon-Jepp of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce expressing concerns about the Digital Services Tax.
“At a time when Canadians are struggling with affordability, this tax will increase costs for consumers on a variety of everyday products and services that rely on digital platforms,” said Ms. Brandon-Jepp, the chamber’s senior director of fiscal and financial services policy.
The tax would impose a 3-per-cent levy on Canadian revenue from digital services exceeding $20-million that is earned by companies with at least $1.1-billion in global revenue.
Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon noted at a news conference with other ministers this week that the government had managed to get 15 bills enacted in 14 weeks, calling that pace pretty productive for a minority Parliament.
Although Mr. MacKinnon has criticized the Opposition Conservatives for obstructing the government legislative efforts, he offered some praise for opposition MPs in general.
“Despite all indications to the contrary, we have developed a very good working relationship. I thank them and, through them, thank their caucuses as well,” he said in the Commons on Wednesday.
But all that activity has taken place at a time when the governing Liberals – both the party and its leader, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – are running behind the Opposition Conservatives as well as their leader, Pierre Poilievre, in public-opinion research conducted by Canada’s major pollsters.
Still, Mr. MacKinnon said he expects Canadians, taking stock over the summer, will give credit to the government over measures on such files as dental care, housing and child care.
“I believe that when Canadians do the tally, they will understand that this is a government focused on their needs,” he said.
But the Conservatives countered by spotlighting the increasing cost of living across various areas, saying in a statement that they will hold the Liberals to account until they can win government.
As of Wednesday evening, the Commons is not sitting again until Sept. 16.