Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau survived a second no-confidence vote in as many weeks on Tuesday, brought again by his main Tory rival intent on ousting his embattled Liberals.
The 207 to 121 vote was largely a repeat of the Conservatives’ failed attempt last week to call a snap election, in which two small factions in parliament sided with Trudeau’s minority government.
The motion accused the government of failing to address the housing crisis, rising crime and cost of living, and of being “the most centralized government in Canadian history.”
With a 20-point lead in opinion polls, Tory leader Pierre Poilievre is eager to go to the polls after the leftist New Democratic Party (NDP) broke a coalition deal with the Liberals last month, weakening the Trudeau administration. Dropped.
But the NDP and other opposition parties, whose support is needed to bring down the Liberals, have taken action against his right-wing agenda.
Still, Poilievre has vowed to continue the effort.
In Canada’s Westminster parliamentary system, a ruling party must maintain the confidence of the House of Commons, which means maintaining the support of a majority of members.
The Liberals currently have 153 seats, while the Conservatives have 119, the Bloc Québécois has 33 and the NDP has 25.
Trudeau came to power in 2015, and managed to remain in power through two ballots in 2019 and 2021.
But his popularity has declined and he has suffered a series of setbacks in recent months, including by-election defeats in two of his party’s strongholds.
The deal with the New Democratic Party to support the Liberals will keep his government in office until the end of 2025.
But the NDP saw its coalition with the Liberals as damaging its popularity and quickly pulled out of the deal.
Most analysts told AFP they do not expect Canadians to go to the polls before the spring of 2025, but said the situation remains untenable.
Meanwhile, the Liberals have been weakened as they seek to continue governing in a fractured parliament.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
