LISTEN | Full interview with Liberal caucus leader James Maloney:
As It Happens6:50Liberal majority government will run ‘much more efficiently,’ says caucus leader
James Maloney doesn’t see anything wrong with the way Prime Minister Mark Carney secured his majority government, and says Canadians will benefit from a stronger, more diverse Liberal Party.
Maloney, a Toronto-area MP, is chair of the Liberal caucus, which is getting a lot bigger these days.
Five MPs — four from the Conservative Party and one from the NDP — have crossed the floor in recent months to join Carney’s Liberals. And on Monday, the party won three byelections, securing a majority in the House of Commons.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Carney of winning his majority through “dirty backroom deals,” and says constituents should be able to recall floor-crossing MPs and force them to run in byelections under the Liberal banner.
NDP Avi Lewis, meanwhile, says securing a majority this way “feels wrong” and questioned what the Liberals stand for.
Maloney spoke to As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal on Tuesday about Carney’s unconventional path to a majority government. Here is part of their conversation.
What can Canadians expect this government to achieve first?
The prime minister’s approach to governing, and his agenda is going to be the same today as it has been for the past almost 12 months. There seems to be some perception that something’s going to change. It’s not.
The way Parliament functions is going to be different, obviously, because we now have a majority government, and once the three new members take their seats in two or three weeks’ time, things will settle down, and I think we’ll see things move much more efficiently.
WATCH | Carney on his Liberal majority:
‘We’re going to have more substance,’ less showboating with majority government, Carney says
Prime Minister Mark Carney says debates in committee should be more substantive now that his Liberal Party has a majority government. ‘All Parliamentarians, in the end, will appreciate that, even if it’s a change for some of them,’ he said.
There is criticism of how the Liberal Party secured this majority [with] five MPs crossing the floor to join your government since the last federal government.… How do you respond, James, to [Poilievre’s] argument that Canadians did not vote for this?
Canadians voted for each of those individual MPs. Our system allows for this type of thing to happen.
These individuals made a choice on their own behalf after thoughtful consideration. These decisions aren’t made over lunch or overnight. These are people who gave a great deal of consideration to what they were going to do. They obviously agree with what the prime minister’s approach is and his agenda, and they decided to support him and this government.
What would you have said if the situation were reversed?
Well, the situation was reversed.
I was elected in 2015, and [then-Liberal MP] Leona Alleslev crossed the floor to the Conservatives. And, you know, [then-Conservative leader Andrew] Scheer and Poillievre and all these other folks were welcoming.
WATCH | Poilievre on floor-crossing MPs:
Floor-crossing MPs should have to run in a byelection: Poilievre
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of making ‘dirty backroom deals’ to secure a majority government and said voters should have the right to petition for a byelection when an MP makes the decision to change parties. It comes after Marilyn Gladu became the latest MP to cross the floor to the Liberal Party.
This is more than one or two, as you know…. Why not hold by-elections?
It’s not required. I mean, this is the way the system works, and it’s always worked that way.
Might I also point out that Mr. Poillievre was one of a number of Conservative MPs who voted against … a private member’s bill that was introduced in the House to prevent this from happening.
So it’s a bit ironic, to be generous, at this point for him to be coming out … and saying that this is wrong somehow. And whether it’s one person or five people doesn’t make a difference. There’s not a quantitative analysis that goes on here. I mean, they’re entitled to do what they did.
A robust opposition is integral to the democratic process, as you know. What would you say to Canadians who are worried that we’re going to see less of that push from the opposition parties?
I would encourage them to go watch a number of the committee meetings that have taken place over the past three to six months, and none of that conduct that they will see is what anybody objectively would call constructive, efficient opposition. It was obstruction, plain and simple. I’ve been chairing the justice committee for the last number of months and we have had days and days and hours and hours of filibustering with people talking about nothing to do with legislation.
They’re supposed to challenge you though, right? [Filibusters] are part of the system.
They’re welcome to challenge, and … I’ll sit down with anybody any time and talk about ideas and how to make legislation better. But when you’re just obstructing for the sake of objecting, that’s not opposition.
I really think Canadians can be assured that this is going to result in a better government process.
Last month, [Nunavut MP] Lori Idlout left the NDP to join the government. [Ontario MP] Marilyn Gladu … left the Conservatives. We’re talking about not only different perspectives, [but] diametrically opposed perspectives. Yes, they’ve both joined the Liberals, but how are you going to reconcile all of those differences that are now very present in your party?
I’m the chair of our national caucus, which is an honour and a great responsibility. One of the things that I enjoy the most is listening to diverse set of ideas and perspectives, whether it be from different parts of the country or different parts of the spectrum. You need diversity of opinion to get to drive good outcomes, and that’s what we have.
LISTEN | Avi Lewis on the Liberal majority:
As It Happens7:13Avi Lewis calls new Liberal majority ‘precarious’
New NDP Leader Avi Lewis tells As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal that he’s focused on getting election-ready because he doesn’t think Prime Minister Mark Carney’s majority government will last.
Lewis, the new NDP leader, has said in the lead-up to these byelection results that he doesn’t recognize what it means to be a Liberal…. What would you say to those who are thinking that way?
The Liberal Party stands for a diverse set of opinions and a middle-of-the-road policy perspective, and that hasn’t changed. And we’re in a situation right now where that’s exactly what you’re seeing, that’s the way it’s playing out.
I mean, Mr. Lewis just became leader of a party which has six MPs now. They have their own set of challenges. Somebody could easily say the same thing about the NDP right now. But I’m worried about governing and making sure that the government is doing what’s best for Canadians.
