The leader of the federal Conservatives, campaigning in Nanaimo today, suggested it isn't up to him whether the end of the NDP-Liberal governance agreement will lead to an early election.
Pierre Poilievre held a press conference Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the Vancouver Island city's Maffeo Sutton Park, where he criticized the confidence-and-supply agreement between the Liberals and the NDP that helped keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party in power with a minority government, and characterized NDP leader Jagmeet Singh's decision to end the agreement as a stunt.
Earlier in the day, Singh announced via social media that he had torn up the agreement, saying that the Liberals have let people down and that Trudeau always "caves" to corporate interests.
At the press conference in Nanaimo, Poilievre said next steps will depend partly on this fall's parliamentary schedule.
"Right now we don't have a calendar to indicate when we can put forward a motion, but the NDP will have to choose…" he said. "[Singh] is going to have to vote on whether he keeps Justin Trudeau's costly government in power, or whether he triggers a carbon tax election so Canadians can elect a common-sense government that axes the tax, builds the homes, fixes the budget and stops the crime."
Poilievre said the end of the confidence-and-supply agreement does give his party new pathways to an early election, but he added that it will still depend if Singh "is serious or a stuntman."
"Will he vote for a carbon tax election at the earliest opportunity, or will he vote again to keep the costly coalition with Trudeau in power?"
