Canadian Parliament is prorogued. Here's what that means
Here's how prorogation has been used in the past
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said he will be stepping down from the country's top office and from his role as Liberal Party leader as soon as a replacement is chosen.
In the same breath, he also confirmed Parliament will be prorogued, or suspended, until March 24.
"The fact is, despite best efforts to work through it, Parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority Parliament in Canadian history," Trudeau said, referring to the government elected in 2021.
"That's why, this morning, I advised the Governor General that we need a new session of Parliament."
Trudeau said Gov. Gen. Mary Simon granted the request to prorogue Parliament until March 24.
Here's what prorogation means for the government and for the public.
What is prorogation?
Prorogation effectively allows the prime minister to hit pause on Parliament. The government remains in power, but all parliamentary activity — from existing bills and committee work to studies and investigations — comes to a halt.
The legislative agenda will be reset once the House of Commons reconvenes in March. Opposition parties have the option to revive the old activity with a motion, but there is no guarantee that ever happens if they want to defeat the current government altogether.
If the government falls, some key pieces of legislation could be abandoned — like the proposed change to Canada's capital gains tax or the Online Harms Act.
Why prorogue Parliament?
Prorogation is different than dissolution, which terminates Parliament and triggers a general election.
In this case, it means the Liberals will avoid a confidence vote and get more time to run a leadership race. Trudeau said confidence votes that come after March 24 will "allow Parliament to weigh in on confidence in a way that is entirely in keeping with all the principles of democracy."
"Anyone who's been watching politics closely over the past months will know that Parliament has been entirely seized by obstruction, by filibustering and a total lack of productivity," Trudeau said Monday when asked why he chose prorogation instead of immediately setting off the next election.
"It's time for a reset. It's time for the temperature to come down."
The prime minister's future has been in question for months as the party fought against its lowest level of support in years. As of Monday, an average of publicly available polls had Pierre Poilievre's Conservative Party with a 24-point lead over Trudeau's Liberals.
Calls for Trudeau's resignation intensified after Chrystia Freeland, one of his most loyal allies, suddenly resigned as minister of finance and deputy prime minister on Dec. 16.
Nelson Wiseman, a former political science professor at the University of Toronto, said prorogation won't have a noticeable impact on most Canadians because in areas that affect most people's daily lives — like health care, education and social welfare — Parliament transfers money to the provinces and that money has already been allocated within the budget.
Why has prorogation been controversial?
The practice has also been used as a tactic during political crises.
Trudeau previously suspended Parliament in September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and controversy over the WE Charity student volunteer grant program.
The Conservatives under former prime minister Stephen Harper used prorogation to avoid a confidence vote in 2008, thwarting all three opposition parties in their attempt to defeat his government.
Harper's government used the move again for two months in 2010, that time to kill a committee inquiry into the treatment of Afghan detainees.
Jean Chrétien's Liberal government was accused of using prorogation to avoid tabling a report on the sponsorship scandal in 2002-03.
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With files from Richa Syal