MPs are debating the Conservatives’ second motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government this week.
The day after Conservative Leader Pierre Poirievre’s first attempt to topple the Liberal minority failed by a vote of 211 to 120, the House of Commons was seized by a new opposition-led effort.
Thursday’s motion reads: “Nine years later, with a government that has doubled housing costs, taxed food, punished work, rampant crime and become the most centralized government in Canadian history, the House of Commons has lost confidence in the government and is offering Canadians a choice: to eliminate taxes, build housing, fix the budget and stop crime.”
Debate is expected to begin just after 10 a.m. EDT and continue throughout the day, with a vote on the motion scheduled for next Tuesday.
The motion is likely to have a similar outcome to the first, as the Bloc Quebecois has asked the Liberals to consider its request by late October to avoid an election before the new year, and the New Democrats have cited polls that show Canadians do not want an election at this time.
But neither party has yet announced how they plan to vote on Poirievre’s latest proposal. In a statement, the Conservatives called on other opposition parties to stop supporting the Liberals and “provide Canadians with the relief they desperately need.”
With the NDP’s supply and confidence agreement no longer in place, the Liberals will face a series of confidence tests this fall.
During the debate, Government House Leader Karina Gould said it was a little awkward that we’re here again today, just hours after the House of Commons passed a motion of no confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, noting Poirierbre’s failed attempts to get Canadians to the polls.
“What we saw yesterday is that we have three parties in this Parliament that want to work for Canadians — Liberal MPs, Bloc MPs and New Democrat MPs — and they’re all here to work for Canadians,” Gould said.
“It actually feels a bit depressing here. I don’t know what to say, but it feels like the Conservatives don’t have the same energy. They lost the motion yesterday and now they’re doing it again today.”
This is a developing story, check back later for updates…
