Conservative leader Pierre Poirievre is set to table a motion of no confidence next Tuesday, leading to an attempt to call a federal election.
The motion simply reads: “The House has no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Government” and will be debated before a final vote on Wednesday.
The outcome of the vote is uncertain.
If the bill passes, Canadians will go to the polls this fall. If it fails, the Liberal Party will remain in power.
Top in opinion pollsThe Conservative Party is determined to call an election as soon as possible in order to use its current popularity to force Prime Minister Justin Trudeau out of office.
The Liberal Party wants to avoid an election, remain in power and pass bills such as the Pharmaceutical Benefits Bill currently under consideration in the Senate.
The Liberal party lost by-elections in two safe ridings in the past three months as Canadians grow tired of Trudeau’s camp, but the government says there is still work to be done.
Premier Pierre Poirievre wants the NDP to announce its position on a motion of no confidence that the Conservatives plan to table next week on the first opposition day of the fall session.
Under Canada’s Westminster parliamentary democracy, the prime minister and his or her government must have the confidence of a majority of members of Parliament to remain in power.
If the Liberal government wants to win those votes, Trudeau and his cabinet will need to convince at least one of the major opposition parties to join their cause.
NDP, Bloc may back Liberals
The Liberals hold 154 of the 338 seats in Parliament. To reach a 169-seat majority without Conservative support, the Liberals would need the support of either the NDP (25 seats) or the Bloc Québécois (33 seats). The Green Party has only two seats, giving it little influence in confidence votes.
The NDP has been reluctant to comment on its intentions.
Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday the Liberal party is “finished” and told caucus today that the party and Prime Minister Trudeau “don’t deserve another chance.”
With the Liberal Party in a tailspin, he has sought to present his party as a progressive alternative to Poiriévre.
Singh is touting a by-election win in NDP stronghold Winnipeg and a narrow third-place finish in a Montreal constituency on Monday as evidence his team is gaining momentum.
But Singh has not said he will topple the government as soon as possible, saying only that the caucus will decide on a no-confidence vote on a “case-by-case basis”.
The federal election this fall will be a tough one for the NDP, with provincial parties in British Columbia and Saskatchewan also facing elections in the coming months.
Having federal and provincial elections held at the same time would drain the party’s funds and resources. Unlike other political parties, the NDP’s provincial and federal wings are combined into one party.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under pressure to defend his leadership as his government faces a vote of no confidence next week following a by-election defeat in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, a longtime Liberal stronghold.
Meanwhile, the Bloc Quebecois has said it may support the ruling Liberal Party in exchange for Trudeau meeting some of their policy demands.
Coalition leader Yves-François Blanchet is calling on the government to increase pensions for the elderly.
The Liberal government has already enacted a 10% increase in the Old Age Scheme (OAS) for pensioners aged 75 and over.
The Bloc Party is demanding that the increase be applied to everyone aged 65 and over, and has presented a private member’s bill to that effect in parliament.
Such a tax increase would be a huge burden on the federal Treasury at a time when the Liberals are trying to rein in the national debt and maintain control of government to maintain Canada’s top credit rating.
