ottawa –
The Speaker of the House of Commons intervened to end the deadlock in parliament, ruling that an opposition move would occur later this week after the Conservatives this morning blocked their own ability to seek to topple the government.
Premier Greg Fergus has scheduled opposition days for Thursday and Friday, meaning the government could face another no-confidence vote as soon as Monday.
His decision follows this morning’s unsuccessful attempt by Liberal Leader Karina Gould to temporarily halt the filibuster, which has taken up much of the House’s time for nearly two months.
The Conservatives have indicated they intend to introduce a no-confidence motion, citing NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s criticism of the Liberals, in order to get their caucus to vote to overthrow the minority government.
But the Conservatives rejected Mr Gould’s offer to consider the motion today, saying they would only move forward with the motion if the Liberals produced the documents they were demanding or if the NDP agreed to a motion of no confidence in the government. Said Buster to finish.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poièvre stands during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, November 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
The filibuster is part of an ongoing privileges dispute related to the Liberal Party’s request for the RCMP to turn over unredacted documents related to alleged improper spending at the now-defunct Green Technology Fund.
Opposition parties must be given four days to introduce their own motions by Dec. 10, the deadline for the House to vote on billions of dollars in spending, without which There is a risk that government ministries and agencies will run out of funds.
Two Conservative opposition motions declaring no confidence in the government were defeated in September with the Bloc Quebecois and the National Democratic Party voting against them.
The Bloc has since vowed to work with other opposition parties to defeat the government after the Liberal Party refused to adopt the Bloc’s bill to increase retirement benefits for people under 75.
But Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said his party would only vote in favor of a no-confidence motion deemed to be in Quebec’s best interests.
Singh said the party would deal with no-confidence votes on a case-by-case basis and said the party was ready for elections but had no intention of holding a no-confidence vote immediately.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2024.
