Parliamentary work resumes on Monday | Pierre Poilievre will be able to present his motion of censure “soon”

(Ottawa) The Trudeau government recognizes that its fate rests more than ever in the hands of the three opposition parties in the House of Commons.

But he has no intention of multiplying parliamentary obstacles to prevent the Conservative Party from presenting a motion of censure in the House of Commons which could provoke a federal election this fall.

There is therefore no question of proroguing Parliament for a few weeks, for example, in order to gain a little time to allow the Liberal Party to regain popular favour in the polls, indicated the government leader in the House, Minister Karina Gould, on Sunday.

Nor will there be any question of unduly delaying the sitting days granted to opposition parties during which they can sponsor motions of their choice. During the 11 weeks of parliamentary session scheduled for this fall, the government must grant seven sitting days to the opposition parties, indicated Minister Gould. Of these, five opposition days are reserved for the Conservative Party.

Result: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will quickly get the opportunity to present a motion of censure against the Trudeau government, as he has promised in recent weeks, particularly since the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Jagmeet Singh, tore up the support agreement he had concluded in March 2022 with Justin Trudeau which ensured the political survival of the minority Liberal government in the Commons.

“Obviously, the Conservatives are going to have their rightful opposition days. It’s not our practice to do it in the first week of sitting, but I can say with confidence that they will have an opposition day soon,” Gould said in an interview with CTV’s Question Period.

Asked whether the Trudeau government will use procedural tactics like proroguing Parliament or whether the Liberals could grant opposition days in a flurry late in December, Gould said: “No.”

“I intend to grant them on a regular basis, as we have done in recent years.”

Pierre Poilievre has promised to table a motion of censure against the government “at the first opportunity” in order to trigger federal elections that will take the form, according to him, “of a referendum on the carbon tax.”

The Conservative leader has multiplied attacks against the Bloc Québécois and the NDP in order to force them to support his approach in the Commons. The Conservative Party absolutely must obtain the support of these two political parties if it wants to overthrow the Trudeau government in the Commons and provoke an election this fall.

It’s far from certain that Poilievre will be able to win his bet. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has refused to say whether his party will vote in favour of a censure motion, while Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet has said his party intends to use its new balance of power to obtain “gains for Quebec.”

“We are not paid by the hour for Pierre Poilievre to replace Justin Trudeau,” Blanchet said last week at the Bloc Québécois caucus in Montebello. “We are here to fiercely promote the interests of Quebec and that is what we will do.”

On the eve of the resumption of parliamentary work, Pierre Poilievre gathered his troops on Sunday to refine the Conservative Party’s strategy for the coming months.

All MPs are converging on the federal capital on Monday for this parliamentary session which promises to be very tense between the Trudeau government and the three opposition parties.

During a speech before Conservative MPs and senators, Pierre Poilievre repeated his lines of attack against Justin Trudeau, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet.

He urged, using several hard-hitting phrases, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP to stop maintaining in power a Liberal government “the most expensive and centralizing in the history of our country.”

In a message aimed at Quebec voters, he promised that Quebecers will regain “sovereignty over their wallets” if he wins the next election. He pledged to reduce taxes and cut spending in order to restore a balanced budget after about a decade of massive deficits that have doubled the accumulated debt. He also reaffirmed his intention to do everything possible to accelerate housing construction across the country and to crack down on repeat criminals.

“Quebecers will have sovereignty over their wallets. They will control their own money. I don’t want to interfere in their affairs. I want to give them the power to make their own decisions. I want to work in collaboration with Quebecers who will no longer have to fight against a centralizing government in Ottawa. So, the Bloc will have a choice,” said Mr. Poilievre in his speech.

This parliamentary session coincides with the holding of by-elections in two ridings: LaSalle–Émard–Verdun, in the Montreal region, and Elmwood–Transcona, in the Winnipeg region. The results of these by-elections could have serious consequences for the future of Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh.

In LaSalle–Émard–Verdun, the contest is tight between the Liberal Party, the NDP and the Bloc Québécois. A Liberal defeat in this Liberal stronghold could revive questions surrounding Justin Trudeau’s future as party leader after the painful defeat in Toronto–St. Paul’s, another Liberal stronghold, in a byelection on June 24.

In Manitoba, an NDP defeat in Elmwood–Transcona, a NDP stronghold, could also raise questions about Jagmeet Singh’s leadership. In this riding, the Conservative Party is hot on the heels of the NDP.

Also on Monday, the commission on foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections resumes its work.