As Parliament resumed for its fall sitting, Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer struck a measured tone, signaling that his party is prepared to work with the Liberals on certain key issues — but only where the policies align with Conservative priorities.
In an interview on CTV Power Play with Vassy Kapelos, Scheer said he is “hopeful” the Liberals’ calls for collaboration are genuine.
“In the last Parliament, the Liberals didn’t operate this way,” Scheer said, referencing procedural clashes that ground the House to a halt last fall. “Maybe this is a legitimate new chapter.”
Scheer cited several examples of Liberal policies Conservatives would support, including the elimination of the consumer carbon tax, the removal of GST on some home purchases, and bail reform measures — all ideas he noted were first championed by Conservatives.
“We will support policies that they lift from our platform,” Scheer said. “What we are on alert for is when they graft their own tired policies that have been proven not to work onto those pieces of legislation.”
He was careful to stress that working with the Liberals should not be mistaken for propping up the government.
“I wouldn’t describe it as keeping them in power,” Scheer said. “I would describe it as supporting ideas that we’ve already committed to.”
However, Scheer was clear that his caucus will oppose initiatives they see as wasteful or inflationary — pointing to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s $13-billion Build Canada Homes plan as an example of spending that could increase the deficit and add unnecessary bureaucracy.
A Fiery Return to the House
Monday’s Question Period was the first since Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre won back a seat in an August byelection. While Carney began by welcoming Poilievre back to the House, the cordial tone quickly gave way to confrontation as Poilievre accused the prime minister of “breaking promises, making excuses, running massive deficits with costs, crime and chaos out of control.”
Carney hit back, suggesting Poilievre “missed” key Liberal announcements during his byelection campaign.
Conservative Priorities
Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman reiterated the party’s focus heading into the fall session:
“We still have an immigration crisis, we have a housing crisis, we have a cost-of-living crisis,” she told reporters. “We are going to oppose the government where it makes sense, we’re going to support things that make sense, and we’re going to expose what they’re not telling us.”
With the Liberals just three seats shy of a majority, the Conservative stance on key legislation could determine whether the minority government advances or faces fresh political gridlock.