Tories will likely get chance to introduce non-confidence motion next week

OTTAWA — Next week could be the first opportunity for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to introduce a non-confidence motion asking the other parties to topple the Liberal government.

Poilievre promised he would bring such a motion at the first chance he had, after the NDP ended its supply-and-confidence deal with the Liberals earlier this month.

It now appears that chance will come on Sept. 24.

Opposition parties can introduce motions, including those declaring non-confidence in the government, on specific days designated in the House of Commons calendar.

The number of opposition days and which party they go to is determined at the start of a session, and the actual days are scheduled by the government.

During a meeting of House leaders on Tuesday, the government told the other parties that the first of five opposition days for the Conservatives this fall will be next week.

That means a debate on the Tory motion is likely to happen Sept. 24 and the vote would be the following afternoon.

The schedule for next week will be confirmed in the House of Commons on Thursday.

Poilievre brought a non-confidence motion in March, asking opposition parties to join him in triggering a “carbon tax election,” but the NDP and Bloc Québécois joined the Liberals in voting the motion down.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has said that without the supply-and-confidence deal his caucus will take each vote as it comes. He has also repeatedly said Canadians have lost faith in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals.

The NDP wants pharmacare legislation to pass before the next election. The bill in question is currently before the Senate.

The Conservatives would likely need support from both the NDP and the Bloc for a non-confidence motion to succeed.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Tuesday he doesn’t intend to be the one to trigger an election but he expects the Liberals to provide something in exchange.

Blanchet’s party wants the government to increase the Old Age Security pension for all seniors by 10 per cent. In 2022 the Liberals increased the amount for seniors over the age of 75.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press