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Proroguing of parliament

As of now, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has agreed to prorogue Parliament until March 24 at Trudeau’s request.

Proroguing is a fancy term for pausing the government. Prorogation is part of parliamentary procedure, and happens at the end of every parliamentary session.

In this case, it was requested while the House of Commons was on a winter break.

Prorogation also means any outstanding bills that were on the table now cease to exist.

While the break happens, the Liberal party will work toward finding a new leader.

Electing a new party leader

According to the , party president Sachit Mehra will now call a meeting of the National Board of Directors in order to begin a democratic process of selecting a new leader.

That meeting must be held within 27 days.

“If the leader publicly announces an intention to resign or if the leader delivers to the national president a written resignation or a written request to call a leadership vote, then the leader ceases to be the leader on the earlier of the appointment of an interim leader and when a new leader is elected by registered Liberals.”

A leadership vote committee will be struck with two co-chairs, and candidates will have to pay a fee to run, and then a date will be set for a leadership vote.

“Twenty-seven days before the day of the leadership vote, the National Board must publish on the public website of the party the registration procedures for the leadership vote.”

How to register to vote for Liberal party leader

All registered Liberals have a right to vote for a leader. To become a registered Liberal party member, visit .

It’s expected a new Liberal leader will be selected before the House of Commons returns to business on March 24.

Back in session

Once Parliament resumes in the springtime, it’s likely there will be a non-confidence motion put on the floor.

In the fall of 2024, Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre put forth three different non-confidence motions in an attempt to dissolve Parliament. All of his motions failed.

In a on the X platform Jan. 7, Poilievre said it was time to call for an election now.

At a virtual news conference following Trudeau’s resignation on Jan. 6, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh ruled out working with a new Liberal leader, and added his NDP would vote to declare non-confidence in the Liberal government as soon as possible in an attempt to trigger an election.

Non-confidence vote

In the House of Commons, any member of Parliament may introduce a motion with wording that states the House has no confidence in the sitting government.

If a non-confidence vote passes, the prime minister must resign or request the governor general to dissolve Parliament, which would in turn result in a call for a general election.

If a dissolution request is refused, the prime minister must resign and the governor general invites the leader of another party to form a new government.

Drop the writ

If a dissolution is granted, the term used is that the governor general will drop the writ, and a date will be set for a new election.

According to , a writ is a formal written order instructing the returning officer in each electoral district to hold an election to elect a member of Parliament.

“Polling day must be no earlier than the 36th day and no later than the 50th day after the day on which the writ was issued, making the minimum and maximum lengths of a federal election period 37 days and 51 days, respectively,” Elections Canada said.

Canada’s next election

If all of the above plays out, it could mean an election as early as the end of April, or sometime in May.

It’s referred to as a snap election, as it’s held earlier than scheduled.

However, the request to dissolve Parliament can be made by the prime minister prior to March 24, which would also bring on an election sooner than anticipated.

Currently, Canada’s official election date is set for Oct. 20, 2025.

-with files from Torstar ���߲ݴ�ý Service