Opposition Parties Reject Speedy Passage of Emergency COVID-19 Aid Bill

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during a meeting of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on June 9, 2020. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

OTTAWA—The non-partisan spirit that has allowed Parliament to swiftly pass emergency legislation during the COVID-19 pandemic evaporated Wednesday, with opposition parties refusing to give unanimous consent to the Trudeau government’s latest bill.

They also rejected the government’s bid to split the bill in two, to allow promised benefits for Canadians with disabilities to go ahead.