Commentary
An order-in-council (OIC) is a legislative tool used in parliaments to enact an action or regulation without having to go through all the steps formally required to pass a bill or motion in Parliament. It is accepted that the government cabinet can use this tool for items that don’t merit a full parliamentary debate or don’t have time for one.
Due to the undemocratic nature of these orders, they are supposed to be used relatively sparingly and only at need. Since the Trudeau government took power, however, it has adopted nearly 8,900 OICs.
The Trudeau government has been increasingly resistant to putting legislation before the House of Commons when they can avoid it with other parliamentary tools. The government unveiled a proposed ban on all handgun sales and transfers three months ago with Bill 21. Rather than waiting for Parliament to examine the bill, the government is already moving ahead incrementally with an importation ban through an OIC….