Trudeau government on tightrope | Conservatives could table another motion of censure

(Ottawa) The Conservative Party will have a second opportunity this week to table a motion of censure to bring down Justin Trudeau’s government.

Barring a last-minute change of heart, it is already a given that the first Conservative attempt to defeat the minority Liberal government will fail in Wednesday’s vote, with the Bloc and New Democrats refusing to support the move.

However, a new possibility will arise the following day for the Conservative Party: it has been agreed that Thursday will be what is called an “opposition day”, which allows opposition parties to submit a motion that is debated in the House and then put to a vote.

The vote on this second motion, the wording of which should be revealed during the day on Tuesday, will take place in a week, on Tuesday 1^er October. Behind the scenes, it is confirmed that there was indeed talk of putting forward a new motion of censure.

How a motion of censure works

“Common Sense Conservatives will continue to fight for an election on the carbon tax,” the party reiterated last Thursday, in response to the decision by the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Jagmeet Singh, to maintain his confidence in Justin Trudeau’s troops.

The Prime Minister will be in the House of Commons on Wednesday for Question Period before the vote on the motion. The same day, he will receive French President Emmanuel Macron in Ottawa, who is also in a precarious political situation.

Violence and threats have no place

We will have to see in what atmosphere the discussions on the motion of censure will take place this Tuesday.

All the more so since after a week of acrimonious exchanges, the deputies unanimously committed on Monday to showing greater civility during parliamentary proceedings, at the instigation of the Bloc Québécois whip, Claude DeBellefeuille.

This succeeded in getting a motion passed stating that the House of Commons “reaffirms that violence and threats have no place in Parliament”, urging “all members to behave with civility and respect towards their colleagues”.

House Speaker Greg Fergus began the session by urging his colleagues to be more respectful. He lamented hearing “statements that fell outside the parliamentary framework” and observing “gestures [inappropriés] “.

He was keen to point out that question period was an exercise in accountability, and that questions should focus on the government’s administrative responsibility. “I will have things to say about that in the coming days,” the Speaker of the House said.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has more than two decades of parliamentary experience, ignored this aspect of parliamentary procedure – and Greg Fergus’s calls to order – last week. Rather than directing his questions to the government, he took a swipe at the Bloc Québécois and the NDP.

It was after he taunted and insulted NDP leader Jagmeet Singh that the latter stood up to confront him in the House of Commons last Thursday.^⁠1. MPs who witnessed the scene said they were shaken by the leader’s belligerent attitude.

The NDP has still not provided its version of events, despite several requests since last Thursday.

Funding: Liberal Party banks on uncertainty

” Tomorrow [mardi]Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives will table a motion of censure to force an early election, which means we could be in an election campaign as early as the end of the week.”

That’s how the Liberal Party of Canada raised the specter of an imminent election in a fundraising email sent to its supporters on Monday.

While it is true that anything can happen in a confidence vote, the Liberals should have more than enough votes to survive.

If this possibility was left hanging, it is because “we will not know what the other parties will do before the vote is held”, notably because “the Premier of Quebec is pushing the Bloc to rally behind Pierre Poilievre”, argued in an email the director of communications of the party, Parker Lund.

Uncertainty seems to be paying off: On September 6, the party said it had its “best results following a fundraising email” about Jagmeet Singh’s decision to cut ties with Justin Trudeau. How many? The party wouldn’t give “specific numbers,” said Parker Lund.

The largest war chest by far is that of the Conservative Party. During the first six months of 2024, Pierre Poilievre’s troops collected $20.8 million. During the same period, the Liberal Party collected $6.8 million, compared to $2.6 million for the NDP and $664,804 for the Bloc camp.^⁠2.

1. Read the article “Jagmeet Singh seemed to “want to fight” with Pierre Poilievre”

2. Read the analysis “Conservative Party raises $20.8 million in donations in six months, far ahead of other parties”