Close X
Saturday, January 25, 2025
ADVT 
National

Government faces third Tory non-confidence vote ahead of potential fiscal hurdle

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Dec, 2024 11:17 AM
  • Government faces third Tory non-confidence vote ahead of potential fiscal hurdle

The Liberals are set to face a third Conservative non-confidence vote in the House of Commons on Monday, but the government is likely to survive with the support of the NDP.

Members of Parliament are supposed to vote on a motion that quotes NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's criticism of the Liberals and asks the House to agree with Singh and vote to bring down the government. 

Singh said last week he is not going to support the Conservatives, so the motion will likely fail. 

The House is also set to vote Monday on an NDP motion calling on the government to expand the GST break to include things like internet bills and home heating, and also offer the $250 "working Canadians rebate" to fully retired seniors and people who rely on disability benefits. 

Those votes will come after MPs deal with a debate on a point of privilege raised by Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman on Friday.

The Conservatives have two more opposition days scheduled Monday and Tuesday and Leader Pierre Poilievre has 13 more opposition motions on the House of Commons notice paper to choose from.

The party signalled the Monday motion will call for the government to eliminate the GST on new homes sold for under $1 million, and calls on the premiers to enact a similar policy on their portion of the provincial sales tax. 

The other motions they could go with on Tuesday include one calling to eliminate the carbon tax, another to take a tougher stance on bail and drugs, and also one calling for the government to release a draft copy of Canada's public accounts for the last fiscal year. 

Two of the motions also call for a vote of non-confidence in the government.

If a majority of MPs vote in favour of a non-confidence vote, it would bring the government down and likely trigger an immediate election. 

The Conservative motions introduced Monday and Tuesday will both be up for a vote on Tuesday.

As opposition parties continue to use procedural tactics to stall one another's motions, the House is also facing a deadline on Tuesday to vote to approve billions of dollars in government spending.

Treasury Board President Anita Anand has asked Parliament for approval of $21.6 billion to fund programs including housing, dental care and the national school food program.

Those measures must be voted on. If they do not pass, some government programs could face a cash shortfall, including veteran benefits and natural disaster assistance. The spending requests are set to go to a debate and vote late Tuesday night.

The votes were scheduled when House Speaker Greg Fergus paused a two-month-long filibuster to make way for the spending debate and opposition motions.

The House has been gridlocked since late September by a filibuster over a Conservative privilege motion related to the Liberals' refusal to provide unredacted documents about a now-defunct green technology fund to Parliament and to the RCMP. 

On Friday, Lantsman raised a point of privilege about an anti-Israeli war protest that temporarily blocked the entrance to a building housing MP offices last week. She said NDP MPs had been supportive of the protesters, who temporarily disrupted members' ability to get to the House of Commons. 

That debate was scheduled to resume Monday morning, but proceedings began with the resumption of debate on the green technology fund documents. 

MORE National ARTICLES

Expected La Nina weather pattern could ease ongoing drought conditions in B.C.

Expected La Nina weather pattern could ease ongoing drought conditions in B.C.
British Columbia's nagging drought could be eased by an incoming weather pattern that may bring a colder and wetter than normal winter, says Sean Fleming, an adjunct UBC professor of atmospheric sciences. The prolonged drought has caused wildfires to burn year-round, forced some communities to ration water supplies and dangerously lowered water levels in rivers, impacting salmon runs. 

Expected La Nina weather pattern could ease ongoing drought conditions in B.C.

B.C. party leaders tussle over affordability in radio debate before Oct. 19 vote

B.C. party leaders tussle over affordability in radio debate before Oct. 19 vote
British Columbia's party leaders have jousted over affordability in their first and only radio debate of the province's election campaign. The debate brings together NDP Leader David Eby, B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad and Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau for the first time on the campaign trail ahead of the Oct. 19 vote.

B.C. party leaders tussle over affordability in radio debate before Oct. 19 vote

B.C. father and daughter accuse Canadian Tire, security company of racism, profiling

B.C. father and daughter accuse Canadian Tire, security company of racism, profiling
An Indigenous father and daughter in British Columbia are accusing Canadian Tire and its third party security company of racial profiling and racism after they say he was singled out at a store in Coquitlam and an employee responded with a racist comment. The complaint alleges that on January 17, 2020, the pair purchased new tires for installation and shopped in-store while they waited. 

B.C. father and daughter accuse Canadian Tire, security company of racism, profiling

Kayaker dies after capsizing on river in central Alberta: RCMP

Kayaker dies after capsizing on river in central Alberta: RCMP
An Alberta man is dead after his kayak capsized on the Athabasca River. RCMP say they responded to a call on Saturday about a man in medical distress near the town of Hinton, Alta. Hinton is about 290 kilometres west of Edmonton.

Kayaker dies after capsizing on river in central Alberta: RCMP

Man charged in Vancouver Island homicide

Man charged in Vancouver Island homicide
Mounties on Vancouver Island say a man has been charged with murder after another man was found dead over the weekend. R-C-M-P say officers from the Lake Cowichan detachment were called to a home at the Ditidaht First Nation Saturday morning. 

Man charged in Vancouver Island homicide

Violent attack on girl captured on video in Kelowna RCMP investigating

Violent attack on girl captured on video in Kelowna RCMP investigating
Police in Kelowna say they're investigating a violent attack on a girl that was captured on video on Friday night. RCMP say they are "reviewing very clear and detailed video of the incident to identify all of those involved," including "primary aggressors" and witnesses.

Violent attack on girl captured on video in Kelowna RCMP investigating