The federal government is moving to consolidate control over all 26 House of Commons committees, a shift Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon says will end what he calls “silly partisan games,” but which critics warn could sharply limit ethics scrutiny and parliamentary oversight.MacKinnon told reporters the Liberals’ strengthened position in the House, bolstered by recent floor-crossings from Conservative and New Democrat MPs, now gives cabinet effective control over committee proceedings and agendas.“We do not want to play silly partisan games that waste taxpayers’ time and money here,” MacKinnon said, adding the political math has changed. “That’s settled.”“It is an undeniable fact that the Liberal Party now holds a majority in the House of Commons,” he said. “Liberals now have a majority.”Asked whether the government intended to push legislation through committees with its new advantage, MacKinnon pushed back, saying assumptions about procedure were premature.He also defended the move against accusations it would weaken opposition tools such as filibusters and investigations, arguing ongoing procedural tactics by opposition parties amount to overreach.“There will be disagreements but the relentless pursuit, especially when they have all the answers to all the questions they have raised, that is an abuse,” he said..The shift marks the first time since 2019 that cabinet will effectively control committee investigations, including those that can issue subpoenas or compel testimony.Conservative MP Kyle Seeback, who represents Dufferin-Caledon in Ontario, warned the development could significantly weaken parliamentary accountability.“Liberals will reorganize committees to have a majority so that, once again, they can ram through pieces of legislation without any study,” Seeback said in the House. “They can use all kinds of procedural tricks.”“Canadians should be listening very carefully to this because it tells us what is about to happen,” he said. “The government is going to ram through pieces of legislation because it thinks it can do nothing wrong. Let me tell this House something. The government has done a lot of things wrong.”Opposition MPs have frequently relied on committee investigations in recent years to examine federal spending decisions, procurement practices and ethics-related controversies. Those probes have at times led to ministerial resignations, contract cancellations, and external audits, while also triggering wider reviews into pandemic-era spending and government contracting processes.Critics say those same committees have played a key role in holding government accountable, while government MPs argue they have been used for prolonged partisan obstruction.
