Trudeau government survives another Conservative-led non-confidence vote

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government survived another Conservative-led non-confidence vote on Tuesday, the second in less than a week.

This, the same day the Bloc Quebecois had an opportunity to table a non-confidence motion of its own, opting instead to push the Liberals to support one of its key demands.

The non-confidence motion stated in part that “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.” It was defeated 207 to 121.

In a statement following the vote on Tuesday, the Conservatives pointed fingers at the NDP — saying Leader Jagmeet Singh “sold out working Canadians” — and at the Bloc, accusing them of “letting down Quebecers.”

“Canadians will have the chance to vote in a carbon tax election and Conservatives will continue to fight for it,” the statement reads.

The Liberals survived the Conservatives’ first non-confidence motion just six days ago, with the support of the NDP and the Bloc. Neither of those parties had since indicated they planned to change their votes.

In an interview on CTV’s Your Morning last Friday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party would not support the next Conservative-led motion.

“We’re not going to play Pierre Poilievre’s games,” Singh said.

“If there’s a vote, something of substance, something of content, we’ll look at it and say, ‘you know, this is something we oppose.’ But if it’s just a motion being brought by Pierre Poilievre, we’re not going to support that,” Singh also said.

While Gould said the atmosphere in the House of Commons felt “a little deflated” during debate on the motion last week, considering MPs had voted on a very similar motion just two days prior, the Conservatives in a statement reiterated its calls on the other opposition parties to stop propping up the Liberals and “give Canadians the relief they desperately need.”

The vote on the first motion, which stated that “The House has no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Government,” took place last Wednesday, and it failed by a vote of 211-120.

The Conservatives will have three more opposition days between now and Christmas.

The Bloc, meanwhile, had its own opportunity to table an opposition day motion on Tuesday.

It’s the party’s sole opposition day before Christmas, and it comes after Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet issued an ultimatum to the Liberals last week: two Bloc-led bills must become law by the end of October, or the party will start negotiating with the Conservatives and NDP to bring down the government.

The legislation Blanchet wants the government to push through includes Bill C-319, which proposes a 10 per cent increase to Old Age Security (OAS) payouts for seniors ages 65 to 74, and Bill C-282, which seeks to protect dairy, egg and poultry farmers in future trade talks.

Blanchet’s motion seeks to request royal recommendation for Bill C-319, and MPs will vote on it Wednesday.

“They are not divisive,” Blanchet said about the bills at a press conference on Tuesday. “There’s no wedge in those issues, and they do represent a very important gain for retired people.”

The Conservatives, NDP, and Greens all voted in favour of the Bloc’s proposed changes to OAS during the bill’s second reading last October. The Liberals and one Independent MP were the only parliamentarians to vote against it.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates it will come with a $16-billion price tag over five years.

Blanchet, however, said the cost of the OAS expansion is “not so much compared to where it could be removed,” namely from the oil and gas industry, he said, which “does not need it.” 

Asked on Tuesday whether they’d vote in favour of the Bloc’s motion, neither Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, nor Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, would commit to supporting it, and signalled they see problems with the bill as it’s currently proposed.

“The Bloc’s bill, although well intentioned now, is not helping the most vulnerable seniors,” Duclos said.

On Tuesday, Freeland also made reference to the federal government’s fiscal responsibility.

“We really recognize we need to act in the interests of all Canadians,” Freeland said. “Yes, seniors, but also their children and their grandchildren and part of doing that means making wise decisions about the use of scarce resources.”

And when asked about the legislation and the Bloc’s ultimatum on his way into a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Health Minister Mark Holland said the minority government Liberals have to “work with all parliamentarians,” and make decisions “focused on those with the greatest need,” and “rooted in logic” when it comes to the public purse.

“I think there’s a lot of hyperbole, there’s a lot of saber rattling, there’s a lot of politics right now, and that’s normal, in the later stages of the minority government,” he added. “But in my opinion, everybody (should) just calm down a little bit here and try to find common ground.”

With files from CTV News’ Rachel Aiello and Stephanie Ha