OTTAWA – Stung by public criticism that they put Parliament on an extended Christmas break, the federal Conservatives want to cancel week-long breaks in March and around Easter, saying that MPs have a “lot of work to do.”

Government Whip Gordon O’Connor warned Tory MPs Wednesday to “arrange your schedules accordingly” as the government made plans to sit through scheduled breaks the weeks of March 15 and April 12.

The change in plans could mean that the Conservatives are feeling the heat from the public outcry over Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s New Year’s Eve move to prorogue Parliament and delay its return to March 3, instead of Jan. 25.

O’Connor sent a note to Tory MPs warning that the House of Commons will likely sit during those weeks.

“The purpose of prorogation is to allow time to prepare for a new Throne Speech and budget, not to reduce the amount of time that the House sits,” he wrote in his note.

“Once Parliament resumes there will be a lot of work to do,” O’Connor said.

Prorogation has proven controversial and even unpopular for the Conservatives, who have seen their popularity sag in the weeks since. Several weeks ago, thousands of protesters gathered in cities across Canada to voice their unhappiness at the fact that Parliament was not sitting.

But because any change to the parliamentary calendar requires the consent of other parties, the proposed new schedule could also be a challenge for the Liberals and the NDP.

While changes to the parliamentary calendar require the blessing of other parties, O’Connor said, “there is no reason for the House of Commons to take constituency breaks during these weeks. Quite frankly, we would be surprised if the Opposition disagreed.

After hearing the news, the NDP argued that the House of Commons should resume sitting immediately.

“Instead of playing silly games, the PM should recall Parliament right away to deal with all the important issues facing Canadians,” said Karl Belanger, spokesperson for NDP Leader Jack Layton.

Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale mocked the Conservatives’ sudden change of heart from demanding time to “recalibrate” to now wanting to toil straight through.

“It’s clearly a government in full panic mode . . . trying to scramble out of a mess they created,” Goodale said in an interview Wednesday night.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

He said the Liberals, who have remained in Ottawa holding public roundtable discussions on issues of the day, would entertain any “serious proposition” from the Conservatives.

“We’ve been here all the time . . . They’re the ones who took the holiday, not us,” he said.

Read more about: