Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre gave a nearly four-hour speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday night to delay a vote on the Liberal government’s
Bill C-47, or Budget Implementation Act, which the Tories have been vocal against for its deficit spending measures.
Poilieve began his
speech on June 7 just after 8 p.m. and continued until around 11:45 p.m., being interrupted only from time to time by various members raising points of order.
“I am rising today to speak, and to speak and to speak, for the people who have no voice, the people who have been silenced for too long, the quiet ones, the ones who toil away to pay their bills but have no means to pay any longer,”
Poilievre said at the beginning of his speech.
Poilievre’s long speech during the time allocated for debate on the bill prevented the Liberal government from calling for a vote on the piece of legislation that evening.
While addressing his party’s caucus earlier in the day, the Conservative leader had announced his intention to continue the Tories’
filibuster of Bill C-47, which was introduced in the House on April 20.
The Tories have been slowing down progress of the budget bill for over a
month now since it passed second reading in early May and came under committee consideration.
“I will be on my feet at roughly 7 p.m. to stand up against this budget,” Poilievre told his caucus, adding, “I will keep speaking and keep speaking and keep blocking this inflationary trainwreck until the prime minister rises with a plan to balance the budget and bring down inflation and interest rates.”
Poilievre has called on the federal government to stop all deficit spending and halt any new carbon tax hikes as a condition of the Conservatives stopping their filibuster of Bill C-47.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has criticized the Tories’ filibuster of the bill, saying that it is “hurting Canadians.”
The budget act is currently at
third reading in the House of Commons and will proceed to the Senate if MPs vote it through.
Despite Poilievre’s marathon speech on June 7, Conservatives will not be able to continue prolonging debate on the bill, as the Liberals and NDP already
passed a motion on June 6 limiting House consideration of the bill to just one day at its third reading stage.
The House is set to vote on the Budget Implementation Act after question period on June 8.
