The New Democrats confirmed Thursday they won't help Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives topple the government next week, and intend to join the Bloc Québécois in blocking the Tories' non-confidence motion.
The planned votes from the Bloc and the New Democrats eliminate the possibility of a snap election, buying the Liberals more time to govern after a raucous start to the fall sitting of Parliament.
Poilievre issued a challenge to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh earlier this week to vote with the Conservatives on a motion, the text of which reads, "that the House has no confidence in the prime minister and the government."
The motion will be debated Sept. 24 and voted on the following day.
If it did pass, it would likely mean Canadians would be heading to the polls, but Singh said Thursday he's not going to let Poilievre tell him what to do.
Voting against the Conservative motion doesn't mean the NDP supports the Liberals, said Singh, who pulled out of his political pact with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a few weeks ago.
"I stand by my words, Trudeau has let you down," Singh said in the foyer outside of the House of Commons Thursday.
"Trudeau has let you down and does not deserve another chance."
Canadians will have to make that choice at the ballot box, Singh said, but he will make a decision about whether to help trigger that election on a vote-by-vote basis in the House.
The Conservatives mocked the NDP during Question Period for saying they had "ripped up" the deal to support the Liberals, but still plan to vote to keep them in power.
Poilievre accused Singh of pretending to pull out of the deal to sway voters in a federal byelection in Winnipeg, where the NDP was defending its long-held seat against the Conservatives.
"Once the votes were counted, he betrayed them again. He's a fake, a phoney and fraud. How can anyone ever believe what the sellout NDP leader says in the future?" Poilievre said during question period on Thursday afternoon.
At some point after those comments, Singh stepped out from behind his desk in the House and a two-minute shouting match ensued between the two leaders and their MPs before the Speaker intervened.
Outside the chamber, Poilievre said he plans to put forward another non-confidence motion as soon as the Liberals schedule another opposition day for the Conservatives.
He was not aware at the time that the Liberals were going to schedule a second opposition day next week. The first will be Sept. 24.
The Conservatives will get another opposition day on Sept. 26. If the put forward another non-confidence motion that day, the vote will happen on Oct. 1.
Liberal House leader Karina Gould said there is much work the government still needs to do, and that Singh has realized the consequences of potentially bringing down the government. She refused to take questions about whether her government will negotiate with opposition parties to ensure their support in future confidence motions.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet hasn't ruled out voting no-confidence in the government the next time a motion is tabled.
"I never support Liberals. Help me God, I go against the Conservatives on a vote that is only about Pierre Poilievre and his huge ambition for himself," Blanchet said Thursday.
"I support the interests of Quebecers, if those interests are also good for Canadians."
A Bloc bill to increase pension cheques for seniors aged 65 to 74 is now at "the very centre of the survival of this government," he said.
The Bloc needs a recommendation from a government minister to OK the cost and get the bill through the House.
The Bloc also wants to see more protections for supply management in the food sector in Canada and Quebec.
If the Liberals can't deliver on those two things, they will fall, Blanchet said.
"This is what we call power," he said.
Treasury Board President Anita Anand wouldn't say whether the government would be willing to swallow the financial implications of the Bloc's demands.
"We are focused at Treasury Board on ensuring prudent fiscal management," she said Thursday.
"And at this time, our immediate focus is implementing the measures in budget 2024 that were announced earlier this year."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Comments
The NDP and Bloc have their own agenda they want to see get through the HoC before the next election is called, knowing full well, everything currently in play would die. Second, knowing the conservatives are not interested in the current bills and more interested in what ever their hidden agenda is.
Pierre cannot be trusted to do what is best for Canadians, the county, the environment and climate change. Pierre the career politician that has never worked a real job in his life, is only interested in gaining power through his disinformation campaign.
Let's look at an interesting scenario.
The Libs negotiate with the NDP and the Bloc on enacting their respective key policy favourites in exchange for not voting them out for the next year. The Libs then change leaders. A new leader offers the NDP and the Bloc two seats and one seat respectively at the cabinet table, and a working committee mandated to develop a policy framework to pass into law their top priorities.
The Bloc has repeatedly demonstrated for years that they care about good policy for Canada while focusing on positive outcomes of that policy for Quebec. The federal NDP, of course, focus on positive outcomes for social and environmental issues.
I don't have a problem with either party outlooks, as long as the national common good is protected and enhanced. A Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition government would represent the majority of Canadian's political orientation and therein would be a powerful countermeasure to Conservative's tendency to foster rage and revenge and take a jackhammer to social programs while dissing science.
Why not the Bloc? These are not the hardcore separatists of yesterday. And they have repeatedly supported Canadian and international issues in parliament. A seat at the government table won't break up the nation. Even Stephen Harper offered the Bloc a letter of agreement to form a minority government back in the oughts. Poilievre was just a kid graduate from Political Science at the time, which remains the extent of his world experience to this day.
I have no problem whatsoever with a Liberal PM (not Trudeau) as long as s/he brings a fresh set of priorities and is willing to work with an NDP minister of health and a Bloc MP in cabinet representing Quebec within a national framework. I believe this is the best way forward at this particular time.
The biggest tripping hazards to the above scenario remain the old bugbears of personal ego and loyalty-unto-death party identity. It may be possible to counter these elements with a negotiated expiry date on the coalition, with options to renew after, say, three years.
Cabinet positions are powerful levelling agents. Offering the electorate a single united alternative to Conservative rule will no doubt be rewarded with an absolute majority and would help revolutionalize climate and social policy, knock corporate donors with hidden agendas onto their backfeet and mute MAGA North ragemeisters who talk about god while carrying long guns and playact for the cameras with a script written by anti vaxxers and convoy truckers.