Liberal Majority to Seize Committees, Limit Debate

OTTAWA - The Liberal government is using its new majority status to seize control of House of Commons committees.

The three Liberals who won this month's byelections that secured a majority government for Prime Minister Mark Carney took their seats in the Commons Monday (see the photo of Carney introducing new member of Parliament Danielle Martin). The government then moved quickly to introduce a motion to limit debate on a change to the House rules. The Liberals are looking to change the structure of committees to ensure they have a majority of members. During their minority status, they did not totally control committees.

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said the changes reflect the "long tradition" in Parliament that majority governments also hold a majority of seats on committees - though he acknowledged the situation is unusual.

Opposition House leader Andrew Scheer decried the move as undemocratic. "The very first vote that these new Liberal MPs will pronounce on will be a vote to shut down debate. So welcome to the Liberal Party of Canada, you can check your soul in at the door and just follow whatever the whip tells you to do", Scheer said.

There are now 174 members on the government benches after five MPs - four from the Conservative benches and one from the NDP - defected over the last six months.

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