Today: January 31, 2022

Today: January 31, 2022

By Andrew Thomson | UPDATED 4:51pmET

House of Commons returns from winter break as Ottawa protest continues; PM says Canadians won't be intimidated by threats, violence, hatred

The House of Commons sits for the first time since mid-December. MPs return to what they began this Parliament with -- the speech from the throne -- amid the continuing protest in Ottawa over vaccine mandates, concern about inflation and the cost of living, and questions about Canada's support for Ukraine.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to speak virtually during an evening take-note debate on the Ukraine crisis following his announcement of a positive COVID-19 test result:

Trudeau also told reporters today that Canadians won’t give in to the elements of Ottawa protesters flying racist flags, abusing businesses and homeless shelters, and vandalizing statues and the National War Memorial.

All Canadians have a right to express their opinion or disagree with the government, but not to disrupt society or threaten others, Trudeau said as anti–vaccine-mandate protests continue to grip the national capital.

“To those responsible for this behaviour, it needs to stop,” Trudeau said, imploring other convoy members not to “stand for, or with, intolerance and hate.”

Trudeau signalled he had no plan to meet with protest leaders who, he said, do not represent the majority of truckers, let alone the rest of the country. 

Watch the full news conference:

Watch today's question period:

A number of Conservative MPs showed support for the convoy, and Opposition Leader Erin O'Toole met with truckers en route to the national capital.

O'Toole took to Facebook this afternoon to accuse Trudeau of avoiding the high road by demonizing Canadians to secure his own re-election.

According to O'Toole, the prime minister has been willing to “permanently scar” the nation for the sake of votes, instead of using his leadership position to persuade those with opposing views.

Watch Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole speak on Facebook this afternoon:

The House of Common resumed hybrid sittings on Parliament Hill with protesters having ground downtown Ottawa to a halt over the weekend, forcing the closure of schools, libraries, businesses, and vaccine clinics. 

Meanwhile, military leaders, federal ministers, and veterans' groups condemned protesters for disrespecting the National War Memorial and National Aboriginal Veterans Monument; Ottawa police said investigations are underway into that and the defacing of Terry Fox's statue across the street from Parliament Hill.

The intimidation of journalists and homeless shelter workers also drew attention beyond the capital. 

Watch Ottawa's mayor, police chief, and city officials brief reporters this afternoon:

Conservative deputy leader Candice Bergen told CPAC this morning that, although she condemns such acts, most protesters are peaceful and patriotic Canadians tired of federal and provincial vaccine mandates and "broken promises."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, though, said the protest does not represent the majority of Canadian drivers who are vaccinated and should go home rather than continuing to disrupt life in Ottawa.

Watch the full news conference:

Watch Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe discuss the Ottawa protest and his government's decision to end proof-of-vaccination and proof-of-negative-test policies:

Truckers and other essential service providers entering Canada lost their vaccine exemption earlier this month. Unvaccinated Canadian drivers cannot be denied entry, but face testing and quarantine requirements. The United States, meanwhile, has imposed a vaccine requirement on non-American individuals at its land borders. 

According to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, which has distanced itself from the convoy: "The vast majority of the Canadian trucking industry is vaccinated with the overall industry vaccination rate among truck drivers closely mirroring that of the general public."

Meanwhile, a “National Supply Chain Summit” took place today; federal ministers Omar Alghabra (transport), François-Philippe Champagne (industry), Marie-Claude Bibeau (agriculture), and Mary Ng (international trade and small business) spoke with reporters.

And Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has tabled legislation this afternoon to assign $2.5 billion on rapid test purchase and distribution; he also took questions this morning on the anti-vaccine protest after a dementia funding announcement:

Here's more of what to watch as MPs return:

INFLATION AND THE COST OF LIVING

Conservatives zeroed in on rising inflation during the fall sitting and in the weeks since, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government pointing to child care and housing initiatives as examples of measures to counter worries about the cost of living.

Some recent numbers that will inform debate on Parliament Hill:

Last month the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 4.8% – the biggest year-over-year jump in three decades. (The monthly CPI fell 0.1% between November 2021 and December 2021, mainly from reduced gas prices according to Statistics Canada.)

Grocery prices jumped even higher in December: a 5.7-per-cent increase compared to December 2021.

The Bank of Canada projects inflation to remain close to 5% through the first half of 2022 before falling to 3% by the end of the year as supply issues are resolved but a tight labour market, wage gains, and “upward pressure” on home prices all continue.

The bank’s key interest rate will remain at a record-low of 0.25% for now, but an increase is expected to try and maintain the Bank of Canada’s 2-per-cent inflation target.

UKRAINE

A take-note debate is planned later today on Canada's response to the Ukraine crisis.

MPs switch to a Committee of the Whole for this style of debate, which looks at broader national issues rather than specific bills. MPs can speak as many times as they wish – 10 minutes at a time.

Yesterday the government pledged to evacuate all non-essential personnel and remaining dependent from the Canadian embassy in Kyiv. And last week the prime minister announced the Canadian government will extend and expand its military training mission in Ukraine (Operation UNIFIER), send non-lethal equipment, and provide more cybersecurity and intelligence support to Ukraine in response to Russian threats.

Operation UNIFIER could see a doubling of personnel to 400 CAF members as part of the three-year extension, according to Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand, who pointed to the commitment -- and continuing need for a diplomatic solution -- when asked why Canada is only sending non-lethal military equipment.

Conservatives have accused the government of ignoring a clear Ukrainian request for lethal defensive weapons.

"The governments of the U.S., U.K., Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic, and others have already provided lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine," said a party statement. “This lack of action by Prime Minister Trudeau calls into question the Liberal government’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Russia's aggression. The time for half measures has long passed."

Monday is also the fifth of six allotted days to debate to House’s official reply to last November’s address outlining the government’s agenda.

No further amendments are allowed at this point; the traditional opposition (Conservative) amendment and third-party (Bloc Québécois) sub-amendment have already been defeated.

WATCH: Government House Leader Mark Holland on the return of Parliament

In Committee

The finance committee hears from parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Teamsters Canada, and the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec as part of pre-budget consultations. 11am ET / 8am PT

Federal officials go before the human resources committee for questions on service standards for Employment Insurance (EI) claims. 11am ET / 8am PT

Federal officials also brief the agriculture committee on British Columbia's flood recovery effort at 11:30am ET / 8:30am PT. 

Federal environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco briefs the natural resources committee on his conclusion last November that the $675-million Onshore Program of the Emissions Reduction Fund was “poorly designed” and that officials overestimated expected reductions in the oil and gas sector. 3:30pm ET / 12:30pm PT

And World Food Programme director David Beasley is among the officials briefing members of the Special Committee on Afghanistan. 6:30pm ET / 3:30pm PT

Today in Politics: Mark Sutcliffe and Peter Van Dusen

MPs return to the House after a demonstration on Parliament Hill. Will the convoy and demonstration lead to any political fallout? And, Conservatives digest their party's internal review of the federal campaign. Here's your Monday morning podcast: