Conservatives to put forward non-confidence motion in Trudeau government 'at earliest possible opportunity'
“It's put up or shut up time for the NDP,” Poilievre said to reporters on Wednesday.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced that his party plans to introduce a non-confidence motion at the "earliest possible opportunity" once Parliament reconvenes, aiming to trigger an early federal election.
Poilievre urged both the NDP and Bloc Quebecois to back the motion. “It's put up or shut up time for the NDP,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
This announcement follows the NDP’s decision to withdraw from its supply-and-confidence agreement with the minority Liberal government a week ago. The agreement, established in 2022, ensured NDP support for the government in non-confidence votes in return for advancing shared policy goals. Now, the NDP says it will evaluate its support on a case-by-case basis.
Before the agreement ended, Poilievre had publicly called on NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in late August to abandon the deal and force an election this fall. The next scheduled federal election is set for October 2025.
During a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, Poilievre reiterated his challenge to Singh, asking the NDP to commit “unequivocally” to a non-confidence vote ahead of two federal byelections on Monday.
“Will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
Although Singh acknowledged that an early election is now "more likely," the NDP has given no indication that it intends to push for an immediate election. The party is currently holding its caucus retreat in Montreal, where NDP House Leader Peter Julian said discussions are centered on “what we are looking to do and accomplish in the next election.”
For the non-confidence vote to succeed, more than the Conservative caucus of 119 and the NDP caucus of 24 MPs would be needed. The Liberal government holds 154 seats, and the Bloc Quebecois’ 32 MPs effectively hold the balance of power.
The House of Commons resumes on September 16.
