OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech intended to rally his Liberal caucus Sunday afternoon that laid out his governing agenda for the re-opening of Parliament.
The Liberals briefly let the TV cameras and reporters into their first caucus meeting since winning the April 28 election to watch Carney address his new colleagues.
Carney said his government's immediate focus will be on affordability measures, such as quickly passing the tax cut he promised during the campaign.
From dealing with a chaotic White House to building up the economy, he set the stakes high for his new MPs.
"Our government has been elected to do nothing less than define a new economic and security relationship with the United States," he said. "Canadians also want their life to become more affordable. They want their communities safer. We will deliver these mandates with urgency and determination. We are going to get going from minute one."
Carney said his ministers will immediately introduce legislation to fast-track infrastructure projects deemed to be in the national interest and bring in a bill to eliminate all federal barriers to free trade in Canada.
Parliament returns on Monday to elect a new Speaker for the House of Commons, followed by a throne speech on Tuesday to be delivered by King Charles III.
Carney promised his government would move at a brisk pace and vowed the Parliamentary session will be one of the busiest in Canadian history, despite the fact it's only scheduled to sit for a month before a pre-scheduled summer break until September. Carney's first budget is also controversially not going to be tabled until the fall.
Still, Carney said his minority government team will be "very, very busy" in not just the coming weeks, but also over the next few years, and accomplish things "previously thought impossible at speeds not seen in generations."
While the Liberal caucus met to plan for the new parliamentary session, it was also widely expected to decide on whether to adopt a new formal process to eject a party leader unwilling to leave.
That follows Liberal MPs' roller-coaster experience with former leader Justin Trudeau, who had rejected calls from caucus for him to step down for months before finally announcing his resignation shortly after then finance minister Chrystia Freeland publicly tendered her resignation.
The caucus is expected to vote on whether to adopt the Reform Act for the first time, although that vote would not place Carney in any danger any time soon.
The 10-year-old law was designed by Conservative MP Michael Chong to strengthen the role of individual MPs and embolden them to hold their party leaders to account. Adopting it would give Liberal MPs a clearer road map to removing their party leader should the need arise.
It is the same method the Conservatives used to oust Erin O'Toole from the leadership after the Tories lost the 2021 election.
If adopted, it would mean just a fifth of the party's MPs could move to trigger a leadership review and then require a majority vote to eject the leader.
Most MPs stayed mum on the issue en route to the caucus meeting, including Freeland, who now serves as transport minister.
Some MPs even dashed past the TV cameras stationed outside the caucus room when asked for comment on the private debate and vote.
But Whitby MP Ryan Turnbull said he'll be supporting the changes because it's "important to have caucus accountability in every party."
Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma MP Terry Sheehan, on the other hand, said he doesn't see the need for the new rules.
"I've come in with a pre-set mind that I will not be supporting the Reform Act because we don't need to. Our caucus is strong," he said. "Behind those doors right there, that's our caucus and we can let our hair down any time and have frank and open discussions."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2025.
Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press
