Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has introduced another non-confidence motion in the House of Commons on Thursday—less than 24 hours after the previous one was defeated.
This new effort to unseat the government is also expected to fail, as both the NDP and the Bloc Québécois have indicated their continued support for the Liberals, at least for the time being.
The Bloc Québécois has given the Liberal government until October 29 to increase pensions and protect supply-managed agricultural sectors like dairy, eggs, and poultry from future trade agreements. Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet has stated that if these demands are not met, his party will push for an early election.
After ending its supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals, the NDP has been non-committal about how long it will continue to support the government, saying only that it will evaluate confidence votes on a “case-by-case” basis.
Poilievre’s latest motion calls for a federal election due to rising home prices and increased crime rates, among other perceived government shortcomings.
“The House has lost confidence in the government and offers Canadians the option to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget, and stop the crime,” the motion reads, echoing Poilievre’s familiar slogans.
“Who could be against this?” Poilievre asked during question period regarding his motion.
Poilievre was not present in the Commons to table the motion himself; instead, Deputy Opposition House Leader Luc Berthold presented it—perhaps signaling that the party does not expect the motion to succeed.
“Who’s opposed to that motion? Canadians,” responded Government House Leader Karina Gould.
“If Canadians are against all of those things, if that’s the case, why won’t she let them decide in a carbon tax election now?” Poilievre retorted.
Gould described Poilievre’s decision to introduce another non-confidence motion so soon after the last one failed as “a little sad,” adding, “I think it shows his desperation.”
If this motion fails as anticipated, the Conservatives have at least three more opportunities before Christmas to introduce non-confidence motions in an attempt to bring down the Liberals and trigger an election.
There may also be other chances to defeat the government through upcoming votes on spending-related matters, which are typically considered confidence votes.
Under Canada’s parliamentary system, the prime minister and government must maintain the confidence of a majority of MPs to stay in office. If the Liberal government wishes to continue winning confidence votes, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet will need to persuade at least one major opposition party to support them.
This latest motion follows a contentious day in the Commons on Wednesday, during which MPs exchanged sharp criticisms and engaged in name-calling.
A crude remark from a Conservative MP during question period about Trudeau was condemned as homophobic.
Trudeau said the Liberals are forced to deal with a barrage of “crap” from the Conservatives on a daily basis.
Poilievre, in turn, was accused by Trudeau of not being concerned about the plight of single mothers because he voted against social programs that could assist them.
At one point, Trudeau accused Poilievre of planning to create a two-tier health-care system by privatizing care—a claim the Conservative leader dismissed as “disinformation from a flailing and desperate prime minister clinging to power.”
Trudeau said Poilievre’s “little performances, the little rhymes and slogans,” are growing tiresome.
Speaking to reporters before question period on Thursday, Health Minister Mark Holland said Liberals are becoming frustrated with the opposition parties, particularly the Conservatives, for “denigrating” them and hurling “personal slurs all day long.”
“They say, ‘That’s one we’re taking. We’ve got your seat. You’re done.’ Like, what?” Holland said. “In what other workplace would this be acceptable? Take a look at their behaviour.”
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said Trudeau has been involved in too many scandals—including his vacation to “billionaire island,” the WE Charity scandal, the SNC-Lavalin affair, and the blackface incidents—and it’s time for him to step down.
“The House environment here is deteriorating rapidly. We need an election—we need an election now,” she said.