House of Commons rises after tumultuous fall sitting, begins six-week winter break

OTTAWA — The House of Commons has wrapped up its work for 2023 after an intense fall sitting, with MPs returning to their ridings for a six-week holiday break.

A gun-control bill that enshrines a handgun freeze and a bill that lifts GST charges off rental developments and amends the country’s competition law both crossed the finish line in Parliament this week. 

The minority Liberal government also passed a suite of bail reforms, launched a dental-care program demanded by the NDP and concluded its standoff with Google, which agreed to pay Canadian news publishers $100 million a year in compliance with the Online News Act.

Conservatives, enjoying a major boost in the polls, made their presence known in the Commons with a series of procedural tactics that culminated in a marathon 30-hour voting session last week to show their opposition to federal carbon pricing.

In September, Anthony Rota stepped down as Speaker after he lauded a man who had served in a unit created by the Nazis to fight the Soviet Union in the Second World War during a visit by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Drama over the Speaker engulfed the House in its final sitting week of the year, too, with Greg Fergus repeatedly apologizing for a tribute video he filmed that was shown at a recent Ontario Liberal Party convention.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2023.

The Canadian Press