In many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has served as a test of resilience for Canada’s Parliamentary system. One illustrative example would be the case of the firing of two scientists from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. In order to prevent the release of documents related to these firings, the federal government took the extraordinary step of applying to the Federal Court of Canada in June, potentially allowing the judiciary to interfere in the functioning of Parliament. Though the court fight was quietly dropped a week ago, the question remains: are our Parliamentary norms being eroded?
To discuss Canada’s system of parliamentary government, how power is exercised by the federal government, and how the way power is exerted has changed over the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Jonathan Malloy joins MLI Domestic Policy Program Director Aaron Wudrick on the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada.
(Note: This podcast was recorded on August 11, 2021 prior to when the 2021 federal election was called.)