Poilievre Says He’ll Put Forward Non-Confidence Motion at Earliest Opportunity

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre gives remarks during a press conference in Mississauga, Ont., on April 7, 2024. The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov

With the minority Liberals having lost their guaranteed NDP backing to remain in power, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he'll introduce a government confidence motion at the “earliest possible opportunity.”

Poilievre said on Sept. 11 that he is throwing a challenge to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to “commit unequivocally” to vote non-confidence prior to two byelections taking place on Sept. 16.

“Jagmeet Singh claims that he’s torn up the supply and confidence agreement. That means he has to vote non-confidence to trigger a carbon tax election,” Poilievre told reporters in Ottawa.

The agreement, struck in March 2022, saw the Liberals advance NDP policy priorities in exchange for support on key votes. The Tory leader suggested that Singh pulled out of the deal on Sept. 4 in order to distance himself from the Liberals, who have been trailing in the polls, ahead of the byelections on Sept. 16.

In the upcoming byelections, the NDP is defending a stronghold in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood-Transcona and will seek to play spoiler in the Montreal riding of Lasalle-Émard-Verdun.

Singh told reporters on Sept. 11 that Poilievre “wants to play games” while his party wants to “get things done for Canadians.”

The NDP leader said he is not beholden to the government and that he would consider each vote separately. “I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said. “We will look at the votes and we'll make a determination on what’s in the best interest of Canadians.”

After the NDP pulled out of the agreement, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said his party’s leverage had now increased and that he would try to make certain gains from the Liberals in exchange for support on key votes. The Bloc holds more seats in the House of Commons than the NDP.

Blanchet said on Sept. 10 that his objective is not to keep the Liberals in power, but he added that the difference between the Liberals and the Conservatives in power is akin to the choice between “getting bit by a viper or a tarantula.”

“If Pierre Poilievre is serious, he will table a confidence motion that works for Quebec’s interests as supported by the Bloc Québécois,” he said. “And that excludes the carbon tax, that excludes ‘I want to replace the boss.’”

Poilievre has not specified what language his promised non-confidence motion will contain. A timeline is also uncertain, with the House resuming activities on Sept. 16.

In French, Poilievre spoke of triggering an election on taxes and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “centralizing policies.” He didn’t mention the carbon tax specifically. In English he spoke of bringing down the “costly coalition” of the Liberals and NDP to “trigger a carbon tax election.”

Poilievre tabled a motion of non-confidence in March around the planned carbon tax hike of April 1, and it was opposed by every other party.

Poilievre’s announcement came on the last day of the Liberal Party caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., where Trudeau said his government would stay on the same current path and that he “can’t wait to continue getting into it this fall with Poilievre.”

“I know that confident countries invest in their future, invest in their workers, invest in their people, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do,” Trudeau said.