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As the federal government faces a crucial confidence vote on its budget on Monday, head of government Mark Gerretsen says he is “ready for an election” if one is called.
In a Sunday interview with rosemary barton live, Gerretsen said his government has reached out to all opposition parties to hear their budget concerns and work to gain their support.
If every member of Parliament were to vote on Monday, the Liberal minority would need the support of the opposition to pass the budget and avoid an election.
Gerretsen said he doesn’t think Canadians want elections, but that his party will be prepared.
“We are always ready for an election. The Liberal Party has been ready for an election since the last one,” he told Barton.
All Liberal MPs will take part in Monday afternoon’s vote, Gerretsen confirmed.
CBC News chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks with government chief Mark Gerretsen ahead of Monday’s budget vote. The Liberals are seeking the support of the opposition to approve their budget and avoid an early election.
Where is the support for the party?
After Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont switched from the Conservative Party to the Liberals earlier this month, the ruling party gained one vote, bringing its total seats to 170. That number includes the Speaker, who would only vote to break a tie..
The minority party would need to get 172 votes in favor of the budget if all members of Parliament were to vote on Monday.
When the budget was presented earlier this month, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has voiced his opposition to the Liberals’ tax policy, saying last week that his party intends to “unanimously oppose” the motion.
Similarly, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet said he “hardly saw” how his party could support the budget. A spokesman for the bloc told CBC News last week that nothing has changed and that all MPs in the bloc intend to vote against the motion.
That leaves the NDP, with its seven seats, holding the balance. The party has yet to declare how it will cast its vote.
Green Party leader undecided
Green Party leader Elizabeth May says she has not yet decided whether she will participate in the casting his party’s only vote in favor of the federal budget on Monday.
As things stand, May (the only Green currently sitting in Parliament)He says the budget does not show a strong enough commitment to climate policies, but he has been holding talks with ministers and representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office about whether anything can be done to influence their vote.
Despite her concerns, May says she is willing to support the government in the vote of confidence.
“I know how much Canadians don’t want another immediate election. So I’m in a dilemma, obviously… because right now I’m a no,” he told Barton on Sunday.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told CBC News chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton on Sunday that she is still undecided about Monday’s budget vote, but is still unlikely to vote with the government due to the budget’s insufficient climate measures.
Regarding the possibility of abstaining from Monday’s vote, she said: “I don’t think I was elected because I didn’t show up.”
May’s vote would bring the number of votes supporting the budget to 170; The Liberals would still need at least one more opposition MP to vote in their favor. The House Speaker could then vote to break the tie and approve the budget.
Alternatively, the government could pass its budget if some opposition MPs abstained from voting. No party has publicly expressed interest in abstaining from the vote.
An NDP abstention would be enough to pass the budget and stop the election.
It is also possible for a party to have a small number of parliamentarians who strategically abstain from voting to avoid triggering elections. This would still allow the party to publicly maintain its disagreement with the budget through the majority of its members.
