Trudeau survives confidence vote in Canadian parliament, new threat looms

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau easily survived a confidence vote on Wednesday after his main political rival failed to muster enough support to end the Liberal Party’s nine-year rule.

Lawmakers in the House of Commons voted 211-120 to defeat the main opposition Conservative party’s motion of no confidence in Trudeau’s minority Liberal government.

Trudeau, whose popularity has fallen amid unhappiness over rising prices and the housing crisis, became more politically vulnerable this month when the smaller New Democratic Party broke a 2022 deal to keep him in power until an election they had scheduled for late October 2025.

“Today was a good day for the country because I don’t think Canadians want an election,” said Carina Gould, the senior Liberal in charge of government operations in the House of Commons.

Despite surviving the vote, there are other challenges for Trudeau. Earlier in the day, the leader of the separatist Bloc Quebecois said he would work to topple the government unless it quickly agreed to the Bloc’s demands.

Trudeau’s Liberals will soon face a second vote on one of his budget measures, which is also a matter of confidence, but is expected to survive it. Officials said the vote could be held on Wednesday or Thursday.

“We will work on pieces of legislation, issue by issue, negotiating with the various political parties,” Gould told reporters.

The centre-right Conservatives have a big lead in opinion polls ahead of an election which must be called by the end of October 2025.

The Conservatives say they want an election as soon as possible on the grounds that Canadians cannot afford a planned increase in the federal carbon tax. They also say federal spending and crime have risen under Liberal rule.

“Enough is enough. Costs are up, taxes are up, crime is up and time is up,” the Conservatives said in a statement.

Trudeau, while acknowledging public unhappiness, has accused the Conservatives of playing politics instead of focusing on what people need.

Bloc leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said he would keep Trudeau in power until at least the end of December if he gave more money to seniors and pledged to protect a system of tariffs and quotas that protect dairy farmers, many of whom live in Quebec.

If the government did not formally do so by Oct. 29, the Bloc would hold talks with opposition parties with a view to ousting Trudeau, he told reporters.

But to succeed he would need the support of the NDP, which also endorsed Trudeau on Wednesday. Polls show the party would also face problems if an election were called now.