Liberals Win Confidence Vote To Avoid Snap Election
OTTAWA – The Trudeau government has averted a snap election this fall after a motion by the Progressive Conservative Party was defeated 180-to-146 votes in the House of Commons.
The opposition party had proposed a motion to create a special committee to probe the Liberals’ Covid-19 response and economic recovery spending, as well as ethical controversies, including the WE Charity scandal.
The Liberals had called the opposition motion a matter of confidence, raising the possibility for a snap election.
The PCs amended the original motion, stating that voting for the the special committee to be in place shouldn’t be regarded as grounds to head into an election.
But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau maintained at Question Period Wednesday that the choice for an election is up to the opposition.
“On this side, we’re not interested in an election. We have much work to do to deliver for Canadians,” he said.
PC leader Erin O’Toole said in a press conference prior to the vote that his party is doing its job as official opposition by asking questions about the Liberals’ pandemic planning, and ethics.
“We are never going to let the arrogance or entitlement of the liberal party to stand in the way of asking reasonable questions that Canadians want us to ask,” he said.
“We’re here for a better response in the second wave of a pandemic.”
Bloc Quebecois sided with the PCs, while the Greens and NDP voted against the motion.