Conservatives will get 1st chance to try to topple Liberal government next week

The federal Conservatives will soon have their first opportunity to attempt to bring down the Liberal government, Global News has learned.

A spokesperson from the office of Liberal House leader Karina Gould stated that the first “opposition day” is tentatively set for next Tuesday, Sept. 24. On this day, the Conservatives will have control of the House of Commons agenda and could introduce bills or motions, including a possible motion of non-confidence.

If such a motion is brought forward, it will be debated on Tuesday and voted on the following day, Sept. 25, according to both Gould's office and a Conservative source who spoke with Global News.

It's not yet confirmed what specific motion or bill might be introduced on Tuesday.

A confidence vote could trigger an early election if the government fails to secure a majority of support on the issue. To pass a non-confidence motion, the Conservatives would need the backing of both the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to be in New York City next week for the United Nations General Assembly, so he is not expected to be in Ottawa for the potential confidence vote.

This opposition day comes shortly after the House of Commons resumed following its summer break, during which the political landscape shifted significantly.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre had pledged to seek a confidence vote at the earliest chance after the NDP withdrew from its supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals, which had previously helped the minority government stay in power until the fall of 2024.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has resisted Poilievre’s calls to support a non-confidence motion, stating that the NDP will evaluate each vote independently from now on.

The Liberals are facing challenges following a recent byelection loss in a long-held Montreal riding, which comes just three months after losing another historically safe seat in Toronto to the Conservatives.

Prime Minister Trudeau and the Liberals are also grappling with a polling deficit, with an Ipsos poll for Global News showing only 33% of Canadians approve of the Trudeau government—a drop of four points since June.

In contrast, 45% of respondents in the same poll favored Pierre Poilievre as the best candidate for prime minister, while 26% chose Trudeau.

Despite this, a majority of Canadians in a prior Ipsos poll expressed a desire for opposition parties to cooperate in order to avoid triggering an early election before the fall of 2024.

According to Canada’s fixed election date law, the next federal election must occur by October 2025.