What is prorogation of Parliament?

Prorogation of Parliament is the formal end of a parliamentary session by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. Prorogation terminates the current session of Parliament, ending all bills before the House and Senate (unless specifically reinstated) and ending parliamentary committee work. Prorogation is different from dissolution: prorogation does not trigger a federal election. After prorogation, the Prime Minister recommences Parliament with a new Speech from the Throne to open a new session, typically several weeks to months later.

Prorogation is the procedural mechanism for ending one session and starting another within the same Parliament. A typical Parliament has two or three sessions over its 4 to 5 year term, with prorogations between them. The first session of a new Parliament begins immediately after a federal election; subsequent sessions begin after prorogation. Each session has its own Speech from the Throne, its own legislative programme, and its own committee work.

Prorogation has been controversial in Canadian politics. The most controversial recent prorogations include December 4, 2008 (Prime Minister Stephen Harper requested and received a prorogation from Governor General Michaëlle Jean to avoid an imminent non-confidence vote that the Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition was likely to win); December 30, 2009 (a second Stephen Harper prorogation, controversial because critics argued it was used to avoid scrutiny on Afghan detainee allegations); August 18, 2020 (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's prorogation during the WE Charity controversy and at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic); and January 6, 2025 (Justin Trudeau's resignation announcement was accompanied by prorogation to allow the Liberal leadership campaign).

The 2008 to 2009 prorogation crisis tested the convention that the Governor General accepts the Prime Minister's advice on prorogation. Some constitutional commentators argued that the Governor General should have refused the request, given that it was being used to avoid a non-confidence vote. Governor General Jean ultimately granted the prorogation after about two hours of consultation, signalling that the convention remains broadly intact (the Governor General follows the Prime Minister's advice except in extreme circumstances). The 2024 federal Bill C-29 (a private member's bill to limit prorogation) did not pass. Prorogation also occurs at the provincial level, with the Lieutenant Governor proroguing a provincial Legislature on the advice of the Premier.