Pierre Poilievre challenges Bloc and NDP to bring down government

Photo: Sean Kilpatrick The Canadian Press Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre holds a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024.

Michel Saba – The Canadian Press

Published yesterday at 11:36 p.m.

• Canada

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New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Jagmeet Singh has no intention of following Pierre Poilievre’s advice after the Conservative leader challenged him and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet to bring down the government.

“I’m never going to listen to Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives,” Singh said Wednesday, accusing his opponent of wanting, among other things, to strip Canadians of dental coverage. “I’m never going to take advice from someone who wants to hurt people. We want to bring hope back to people.”

Earlier in the day, Mr. Poilievre said his party would force a vote in the House of Commons on a motion of censure in the government “as quickly as possible.” He did not reveal the text on which he intends to ask elected officials to vote.

“Will the Bloc vote for Quebecers by calling this election and defeating Justin Trudeau, or will the Bloc vote to keep in power the most centralizing and costly government in our history ?,” he asked.

He expressed regret that the Bloc members were “threatening” to keep the Liberals in power “at a time when we finally have the chance to beat Trudeau and cause an election in order to bring about real change based on common sense.”

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In recent days, the Bloc has indicated that it is willing to trade off its support for the Liberals during confidence votes now that the New Democrats have torn up their agreement with the Liberals. Their leader, Yves-François Banchet, also indicated that the “first” of his “demands” will be to increase the pensions of seniors aged 65 to 74, to the same level as those paid to those aged 75 and over.

In a park near the Bloc headquarters in the riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, where he was campaigning with a dozen of his MPs, Mr. Blanchet stated that his party does not serve the interests of the Conservatives and “even less serves the personal ambition of Pierre Poilievre, whose platform, until further notice, is empty.”

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“He is essentially telling us: ‘Can you vote for a Conservative government to be elected,’” he said. “I am a Bloc member, I have the Bloc’s platform, I only have the interests of Quebec at heart, and the Conservatives would be bad for Quebec.”

In his attacks on the Bloc in French and the NDP in English, the very bilingual Pierre Poilievre asked Mr. Singh if he continues to “betray” Canadians. “It's time for the NDP to stand up or shut up,” he said.

While Singh has rejected the idea that he would ever listen to Poilievre, he has not said how the NDP would vote in a confidence vote, saying he will consider each motion on a case-by-case basis.

Singh’s top adviser, Anne McGrath, has indicated that the NDP leader is not particularly keen on triggering an election.

In government, House leader Karina Gould has declined to say when the Conservatives’ next opposition day would be, allowing them to table their motion. She said Poilievre is playing “political games.”

Gould declined to answer multiple questions about whether Prime Minister Trudeau plans to prorogue Parliament. A prorogation ends a session, effectively wiping out all of the work. Any bills that are not passed die on the order paper.

A poll by Léger on Wednesday put the Conservatives in the lead in voting intentions nationally with 45%, the Liberals a distant second with 25%, and the NDP in third at 15%. In Quebec, the Bloc maintains a comfortable lead at 34%. The Liberals and Conservatives are neck and neck at 25%.

The poll was conducted online from September 6 to 8 among 1,521 respondents. A margin of error cannot be calculated since this is not a probability survey.

The NDP in caucus in Montreal

NDP MPs are in their second day of meetings in Montreal, where they are developing a plan for managing a minority Parliament this fall.

It is also taking place in the same city where the NDP hopes to win a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in the riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection will be held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP hopes to hold on to a seat that the Conservatives are also vying for.

While the NDP are looking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they do not appear ready to trigger a general election by voting against the government.

Mr. Singh is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have held on to the lead in the polls for more than a year.

He attacked the Conservative leader as someone who would bring back Stephen Harper-style cuts to programs Canadians rely on, including the national dental care program.

The next federal election must be held no later than October 2025.

With reporting from Nojoud Al-Mallees in Montreal and Émilie Bergeron in Nanaimo, B.C.