Days after he called for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “to resign,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will put forward a “clear motion of non-confidence” in the next sitting of the House of Commons that could bring down the Liberal government.
“The Liberals don’t deserve another chance. That’s why the NDP will vote to bring this government down, and give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them,” Singh wrote in a letter shared publicly on Friday morning.
The NDP leader’s letter went on to criticize Trudeau and his government, saying the prime minister “can’t fix health care,” build affordable homes or lower bills, and that Singh has “always fought for the people.”
Speaking with reporters hours after the statement, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the NDP leader’s words and remarked that in the weeks since several confidence votes took place there had been “three major developments,” two of which saw Singh and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet change their positions on supporting the Liberals.
He said the third was several Liberal MPs calling for their leader’s resignation.
“He (Singh) suddenly has an epiphany and says he can no longer support thecostly chaos that he has enabled as part of the NDP-Liberal coalition,” Poilievre said.
Poilievre said he plans to send a letter to the governor general asking her to recall the House of Commons so there can be a confidence vote.
“In just a few moments, I will be writing the governor general asking her to urgently reconvene Parliament and require a non-confidence vote so the prime minister can judge whether he stays in power, continuing to ruin our country, or whether we get an ‘Axe the Tax’ election to allow Canadians to take back control of their lives and their country,” Poilievre told reporters.
Parliamentary procedure rules state that when it comes to recalling the House while it is adjourned and before an already scheduled date of return, “the decision to recall is taken by the Speaker, after consultation with the government and once the Speaker is satisfied that the public interest would be served by an earlier meeting of the House.”
Global News has reached out to the office of Speaker Greg Fergus to ask what specific steps must be taken in order for a request to recall the House to be evaluated.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
A short time after his press conference, Poilievre posted his letter to the governor general on X in which he laid out his request to Simon, saying the “chaos cannot continue.”
“That is why I am asking you to use your authority to inform the prime minister that he must either dissolve Parliament or call an election or reconvene Parliament on the earliest day that is not a statutory holiday before the end of the calendar year to prove to you and to Canadians that he has the confidence of the House to continue as Prime Minister,” Poilievre wrote.
According to the governor general’s website, however, while the Constitution Act places “executive power” in The King and thus in the governor general, “in practice this power is exercised by the prime minister and his or her ministers.”
“The governor general acts on the advice of the head of government but has the right to advise, encourage and warn. As such, the governor general can offer valued counsel to the prime minister,” the website reads.
Asked if he wanted an election as well before U.S. president-elect Donald Trump takes office, the Conservative leader said the “sooner the better. ”
“Every minute that this chaotic clown show goes on is irresponsible for Canada,” Poilievre said .
Singh’s statement and Poilievre’s remarks come after a week in which the Liberals saw two ministers step down, including the now-former deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland, whose surprise announcement set off more questions about Trudeau’s own future. The resignation of those two ministers prompted a cabinet shuffle Friday, which saw eight MPs newly named to cabinet.
Those questions have loomed over Trudeau since at least June, when the Liberals lost the longtime stronghold of Toronto-St. Paul to the Conservatives, followed by LaSalle—Émard—Verdun in Quebec to the Bloc Québécois in September.
Several MPs from his own caucus have called for his resignation, with more than 20 signing a letter earlier this fall.
On Friday, four-term Liberal MP Rob Oliphant was the latest to join those calls after meeting with his riding’s association executives.
Though he touted the various measures put forward by the Liberals, like the Canada Child Benefit and dental care plan, he warned that “this record of achievements is now at risk,” saying feedback from his riding and various public opinion polls show “our Leader has become a key obstacle” keeping voters from supporting the party.
“It is time now for him to do his part to ensure that Canada remains strong and united in the face of changing continental and global reality,” he wrote.
Despite calls from a growing number of MPs and byelection losses, the prime minister has said he would continue on.
With the Liberals in a minority government, they need at least one opposition party to vote with them to keep the confidence of the House and prevent a snap election before the currently legislated next election date of Oct. 20, 2025.
The Conservatives in past weeks have pushed multiple votes of non-confidence, but each failed as the NDP voted with the Liberals to defeat them.
However, with Singh signalling his party would put forward the next confidence motion, the Liberals’ only chance would be to get the Bloc Québécois or Conservatives to vote with them. Both parties have voted against the government in the past several non-confidence motions.
The House does not return until Jan. 27, 2025, so the NDP will not be able to bring such a motion until at least that date.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
