Governor General Mary Simon on Monday granted Justin Trudeau's request to suspend Parliament until March 24, suspending activities in the House of Commons, while the Liberals move to replace him as both Liberal leader and prime minister.
The move means the legislative agenda will reset when the House of Commons reconvenes in March and some key pieces of legislation for the government could die on the order paper.
Once the House of Commons resumes, it is likely that the work that ended due to the adjournment will be resumed if the opposition parties support a motion calling for the debate to resume where they left off.
But there is no guarantee that will happen when the opposition parties are trying to topple the government completely.
The Online Harms Act, which was recently split into two separate bills, is one of the pieces of legislation with a dubious future.
The law aims to hold platforms, such as social media sites, accountable for the content that appears on their websites. This includes content used to threaten, incite violence and promote hatred, which has been criticized for potential Charter violations.
Canadian parents born abroad are also vulnerable to court-ordered legislation granting citizenship to people born in another country. The bill seeks to replace legislation passed by the former Conservative government in 2009, but deemed unconstitutional in 2023.
A judge gave the government three more months to pass the bill in December, but the current March 19 deadline has now been missed without another extension.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he will resign as Liberal leader. Trudeau says he has asked the Governor General to suspend Parliament until March 24.
A central part of the latest federal budget, the increase in capital gains tax rates, is also in doubt. The government's aim is to increase the rate individuals pay on capital gains above $250,000 from half to two-thirds, and for all gains for trusts and corporations.
The government has not amended the Budget Implementation Act but brought it as a separate act. The relevant bill was not introduced as the House of Commons was mired in a filibuster from late September until the Christmas break.
Aboriginal Services Minister Patty Hajdu said the federal government has come to co-development legislation with Aboriginal peoples to ensure First Nations communities have access to clean drinking water and the ability to protect source water. Seeking to replace the Conservative bill, the First Nations Clean Water Act would ensure First Nations communities receive at least the same funding as other jurisdictions for water treatment, and recognize that they have a right to clean drinking water.
The Liberals also announced a bill that sought to create a modern treaty commissioner to ensure the government is complying with terms in modern treaties with First Nations. Modern treaty communities have called for the creation of the commissioner for years, saying they have little recourse when governments fail to meet their obligations.
