OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Canadians have filed a legal challenge after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suspended Parliament to give the Liberal Party time to select a new leader.
On January 7, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) announced it would provide lawyers to David MacKinnon and Aris Lavranos, two Canadian men challenging the legality of Trudeau’s prorogation of Parliament until March 24.
“The decision was not made in furtherance of Parliamentary business or the business of government, but in service of the interests of the LPC [Liberal Party of Canada],” the court application stated.
On Monday, Trudeau made the historic announcement that he was stepping down as Prime Minister and Liberal leader. He also revealed his plan to prorogue until March 24, blocking a non-confidence vote that would bring about an election.
During his speech, Trudeau lists the reasons for the suspension as first to “reset” Parliament and second to allow the Liberal Party time to select a new leader.
The legal challenge questioned why a prorogation is necessary and not a short recess, especially when all major political parties have promised to vote for a non-confidence motion that would trigger an election and the “reset” that Trudeau promised.
“No explanation was provided as to why a prorogation of almost three months is needed,” the press release pointed out. “No explanation was provided as to why the Liberal Party of Canada ought to be entitled to such a lengthy prorogation simply so it can hold an internal leadership race.”
The court application further pointed to a 2019 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, which found that then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson had prorogued Parliament unlawfully “as a means of avoiding Parliamentary scrutiny over the government’s ‘Brexit’ negotiations concerning the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.”
“In all of the circumstances surrounding it, the [prorogation] has the effect of frustrating or preventing, without reasonable justification, the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions as a legislature and as the body responsible for the supervision of the executive, particularly insofar as it relates to Parliament’s ability to deal quickly and decisively with especially pressing issues, such as the situation caused by President-Elect Trump’s stated intention to impose a 25% tariff on all goods entering the United States from Canada,” the court document argues.
Indeed, as it stands, democracy in Canada is paused until March 24, despite the growing need to address President-elect Donald Trump’s political and economic moves on Canada.
If the legal challenge succeeds, Parliament could resume as early as January 27, at which time there would likely be a non-confidence vote to trigger an early election.