NDP members use procedural stall tactics to stage committee protest

OTTAWA — Several House of Commons committees have not sat since June, and others only a handful of times, because of a procedural roadblock thrown up by the NDP.

The aboriginal affairs, ethics and access to information, government operations, industry, citizenship and natural resources committees have not met in months.

That’s because the NDP refuses to approve a routine motion in the Commons that recomposes the committees at the beginning of every parliamentary session.

Both the Liberals and the Conservative government attempted to pass the motion again today, but the NDP once more rejected it.

Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux says the NDP’s stalling has cost MPs hundreds of hours of committee study.

NDP House Leader Peter Julian says his party is fed up with the government’s attitude towards committees and won’t budge until it believes things will change.