Close X
Monday, January 13, 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

Justin Trudeau says his leadership is not in danger as Liberals brace for revolt

Justin Trudeau says his leadership is not in danger as Liberals brace for revolt
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his leadership of the Liberal party is not in danger, even as members of his caucus prepare to confront him Wednesday in the hopes of convincing him to step down. He brushed off those concerns as he headed into his regular Tuesday meeting with cabinet ministers.

Justin Trudeau says his leadership is not in danger as Liberals brace for revolt

John Rustad shares his B.C. Conservative origin story, in postelection message

John Rustad shares his B.C. Conservative origin story, in postelection message
John Rustad has taken to social media to describe his origin story as leader of British Columbia's Conservative Party, which he took from obscurity to the brink of power in Saturday's provincial election. The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind Premier David Eby's New Democrats.

John Rustad shares his B.C. Conservative origin story, in postelection message

BC hiker missing since 14 days

BC hiker missing since 14 days
Mounties in northeastern B-C say "extensive resources" including police dogs have been deployed in the search for a man who has failed to return from a 10-day camping trip in a remote provincial park. R-C-M-P say Sam Benastick's family reported him missing on Saturday, after he didn't come home from the trip to Redfern-Keily Park, about 250 kilometres northwest of Fort St. John.

BC hiker missing since 14 days

Man Tasered after trespassing in Victoria school, forcing lockdown

Man Tasered after trespassing in Victoria school, forcing lockdown
A middle school in Victoria was forced into a lockdown after a man entered the building without permission, and police say they had to use a stun gun to make an arrest. Victoria police say officers received multiple calls around noon on Monday of an unknown male entering Central Middle School, leading staff to set off emergency procedures that put the building under lockdown. 

Man Tasered after trespassing in Victoria school, forcing lockdown

B.C. Greens' ex- leader Weaver thinks minority deal with NDP less likely than in 2017

B.C. Greens' ex- leader Weaver thinks minority deal with NDP less likely than in 2017
Former B.C. Green leader Andrew Weaver knows what it's like to form a minority government with the NDP, but says such a deal to form the province's next government is less likely this time than seven years ago. Weaver struck a power-sharing agreement that resulted in John Horgan's NDP minority government in 2017, but says there is now more animosity between the two parties.

B.C. Greens' ex- leader Weaver thinks minority deal with NDP less likely than in 2017

One Liberal MP says he's signed letter asking Trudeau to resign, others remain mum

One Liberal MP says he's signed letter asking Trudeau to resign, others remain mum
As an internal revolt brews, few Liberal MPs who are not in the cabinet are publicly defending the prime minister. The upcoming caucus meeting on Wednesday appears to present the most serious challenge to Trudeau's leadership to date.

One Liberal MP says he's signed letter asking Trudeau to resign, others remain mum