OTTAWA — The House of Commons will reconvene at the beginning of December, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed Tuesday.
MPs will be summoned back to the House on Dec. 5 to elect a Speaker, followed by the throne speech.
The confirmation came moments before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s meeting with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer. A day earlier, the Opposition leader called on Trudeau to open the House before the end of November.
“Last month, Canadians elected a Parliament that they expect to work together and that’s exactly what I’m going to be focusing on doing,” Trudeau told reporters during a photo-op before the meeting.
He said affordability, the middle class, and climate change are issues he intends to bring up during his conversation with Scheer.
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The Conservative leader followed the prime minister with his own comments. “This country is more divided than it ever has been. We need to get to work as quickly as possible so that we can address the priorities of Canadians and bring our country closer together,” he said.
Scheer told CTV News earlier that national unity is on his agenda as well as support for the energy sector.
Trudeau is holding one-on-one meetings with opposition leaders before the new parliamentary session begins. Canadians gave the Liberals a second mandate, but not another majority government.
Trudeau is set to form a minority government, which means he needs support from opposition parties to pass legislation. He is also expected to hold meetings with Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh this week.
The PMO’s inner circle will look different than before the election after the defeat of former cabinet ministers Ralph Goodale and Amarjeet Sohi.
The prime minister is expected to unveil his new cabinet on Nov. 20.
With files from The Canadian Press