Liberal government survives non-confidence vote, as Bloc sets deadline

OTTAWA — The minority Liberal government survived a non-confidence vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday, but if the prime minister wants to avoid an election before Christmas the Bloc Québécois said he will have to meet its demands by the end of next month.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet and his caucus joined the Liberals and NDP in voting down the Conservative motion of non-confidence but said earlier in the day that the Liberals have until Oct. 29 to pass two Bloc bills or he’ll start talking to other parties about toppling the government.

One bill increases the old age security pension for seniors and the other seeks to protect Canada’s supply management system during international trade negotiations.

“What we are proposing is good for retired persons in Quebec, but also in Canada. It’s good for milk and eggs and poultry (producers) in Quebec, but also in Canada. So that’s good for everybody,” Blanchet said at a news conference Wednesday.

The Liberals haven’t said how they will respond to the Bloc’s demands. Liberal House leader Karina Gould said she doesn’t negotiate in public, but that she is always negotiating with parties behind the scenes.

Her party didn’t have to negotiate much to get through the first confidence test since the NDP backed out of the supply-and-confidence deal earlier this month.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre introduced a motion declaring non-confidence in the government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but it failed Wednesday by a count of 211-120.

Poilievre’s own caucus voted for it, as did two independents, but all other MPs voted no.

If the non-confidence motion had passed it would have defeated the government and very likely triggered an immediate election campaign.

“I think today is a good day for Canadians because parliamentarians, except for the Conservative Party of Canada, are committed to getting to work,” Gould told reporters after the vote.

This is not the final test for the Liberals, though. A Liberal motion to support the government’s changes to capital gains taxes was scheduled to be voted on Wednesday evening, and is considered a confidence matter because it is related to the budget. The NDP is expected to support the government on that vote.

The Conservatives have also promised there will be confidence motions to come, and already put the House of Commons on notice that two such votes are coming. The party has another chance to introduce a motion Thursday.

The House has been riddled with tension and name-calling since it resumed following the summer break, behaviour that continued in question period on Wednesday.

Trudeau accused a Conservative MP of making homophobic remarks after someone shouted a comment about Trudeau and Canada’s consul general in New York, Tom Clark, being in a bathtub together.

“Standing up to bullies requires standing up to their crap sometimes,” Trudeau said, leading to an uproar.

He ultimately withdrew the word at the request of the Speaker, admitting it was unparliamentary language, but expressed his anger over the comment he said came from a Conservative.

After question period, NDP MP Blake Desjarlais asked the Speaker to review the tapes and come back with a ruling on the alleged homophobic remark.

How long this will go on is an open question after the Bloc’s declaration on Wednesday. The party is looking to capitalize on its new-found power to make gains for its voters in Quebec.

It wants the government to help it pass Bill C-319, which would increase old-age security payments by 10 per cent for seniors between the ages of 65 and 74 and raise the exemption of employment income used to determine guaranteed income supplement payments from $5,000 to $6,500.

The Liberals, who increased old-age security for seniors aged 75 and older in 2022, voted against that bill during second reading. It is now under consideration at a House of Commons committee. A costing note done for the House suggests the move would cost in excess of $3 billion a year.

The other bill the Bloc wants passed is C-282, which would limit the government’s ability to make concessions on products protected by supply management during trade negotiations. The bill passed the House of Commons with support from the Liberals, NDP and about half the Conservatives caucus. It is under consideration at a Senate committee.

NDP House leader Alexandre Boulerice said both bills will have the support of his party.

“We agree with the fact that we should help seniors in our country that are struggling with the increased cost of living,” he said Wednesday.

“We are strong supporters of the supply management for many, many years.”

Blanchet said if the government agrees to its demands, the Liberals will avoid an election before the end of the year.

However, he emphasized that his party will not blindly support the government’s agenda even if the Liberals agree to the Bloc’s conditions.

“We will not ever support any motion or vote that would go against who we are — and who we are is well known,” Blanchet said, noting that his party will vote against motions and bills that the Bloc perceives to be against the interests of Quebec.

“So the government has to remain pretty careful.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2024.

Laura Osman and Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press