MPs set to vote on Conservative motion to topple Trudeau

Canadian MPs are set to vote on a Conservative motion aimed at bringing down Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, though the effort is expected to fail.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre introduced the motion in the House of Commons on Tuesday, sparking hours of debate among MPs from the four main political parties. The motion simply reads: “The House has no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Government.”

The vote on the motion is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon after question period.

However, it is likely to be defeated, as both the NDP and the Bloc Québécois have already signaled they will not support it.

If a non-confidence motion were to succeed, the government would fall, triggering a snap election. The minority Liberal government needs backing from at least one other party in the House of Commons to survive such votes and pass any legislation.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirmed his party would oppose the motion, stating they won’t let Poilievre “call the shots.”

“We’re going to vote against Conservative cuts and against the Conservative motion,” Singh said Tuesday. He argued that the Conservatives have a history of cutting health care funding, noting that Poilievre voted against programs like dental care for low-income Canadians and national pharmacare, which were part of the now-ended Liberal-NDP agreement. The NDP withdrew from that deal on September 4.

The Bloc Québécois also stated on Tuesday that it is willing to give the Liberal minority government some breathing room and is ready to negotiate on key issues.

“There will be other opportunities to bring down the government, so for now, we’re saying let’s give the government a chance,” said Bloc MP Alain Therrien in French during Tuesday’s debate in the House of Commons.

Although the motion is not expected to pass, the vote marks the first test for Trudeau’s government since the collapse of its supply-and-confidence deal with the NDP.

This follows a difficult summer for the Liberals, which included two significant byelection losses and the NDP withdrawing its support earlier this month.

Meanwhile, new polling from Ipsos, conducted exclusively for Global News, shows support for Trudeau and his government has reached a "new low."