The leader of the Bloc Quebecois says his party "might play a role" in helping the Liberals get House of Commons business rolling again — after days of Conservative-led debate on a privilege matter — but that his assistance would come at a cost. "We have said what we do want in order to have this Parliament get back to work normally, and it is to have the royal recommendation on C-319," Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Wednesday, referencing his still-unmet ultimatum to the Liberals that they ensure a pair of Bloc bills get through Parliament by Oct. 29 or risk an election before the new year.
"We are not responsible for the way other parties behave," Blanchet said ahead of his party's caucus meeting on Wednesday. “And I believe that both Liberals and Conservatives, whatever they say, are quite happy about the situation, because they seem to gain from the fact that the Parliament is not working." "Everybody is trying to keep things the way they are and say the other party is responsible for what's happening," he continued.
"We are not in that state of mind. We want things to go forward, and we might play a role in what's coming the next few days." Since late September, the House of Commons has been mired in a battle over process, and the production of unredacted documents, which has essentially halted all government business After House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus ruled the Liberals did not fully comply with a June order seeking materials related to misspend.
