Canadian Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre Fails at Second Attempt to Topple Canadian Government

Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada Pierre Poilievre with Michelle Rempel and Andrew Sheer (Wikimedia Commons)

Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada Pierre Poilievre failed to pass a second vote of no confidence on October 2, with an initial failed attempt to pass the no confidence vote on September 25, in the Canadian House of Commons, which would call for an early federal election.

Poilievre addressed ongoing concerns among Canadian citizens, including the rising cost of living, groceries, housing, and gasoline. Poilievre focused on the rising prices of gasoline due to the carbon tax, which rose at a rapid rate in April 2024 from 65 CAD to 80 CAD per metric ton.

A vote of no confidence entitles MPs to vote on their support of the incumbent party. If Parliament passes a vote of no confidence through majority vote, it would force Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign and a snap election be called according to Poilievre’s wishes. Still, the federal election is currently scheduled for October 2025. 

207 MP’s voted against the vote of no confidence, while 120 MP’s voted in support of Poilievre’s motion on October 10. The number of MP’s who voted against the vote of no confidence decreased by four votes since the first vote on September 25, while the number of MP’s in favor of the Liberal Party stayed stagnant. The vote of no confidence has passed six times in Canada’s history, including in 1926, 1963, 1974, 1979, 2005, and 2011, when the vote forced Stephen Harper, a Conservative Leader who served as PM from 2006-2015, prior to Trudeau, to resign from post.

Poilievre said in his speech at the House of Commons on September 25 that the Conservative Party would be committed to removing the carbon tax to address the rising cost of living, which analysts have recognized as a landmark in environmental policy, helping to encourage Canadian citizens to reduce their carbon consumption. Poilievre added that the rising prices of Canadian goods as a result of the carbon tax could lead citizens to massive starvation, which is another reason to strike the tax. 

“Do we go to a 61c-a-liter carbon tax making us among the highest taxed fuel in all of the world? A tax that will grind our economy to a halt—that will force our truckers to leave to the U.S. where there is no carbon tax? Nobody is left to bring goods to our grocery store, parts to our factories, jobs to our people, it will be a nuclear winter if this happens. That’s why common sense Conservatives will ax the tax,” Poilievre said. 

The Conservative Party is focused on battling the climate crisis by funding technological projects, such as nuclear hydroelectric carbon capture and storage, instead of enforcing a higher carbon tax, according to Poilievre, who stated, “We will fight climate change and protect our economy with technology, not taxes, by approving large scale green projects that generate nuclear hydroelectric carbon capture and storage and other sources of affordable clean Canadian energy.”

Trudeau said at the House of Commons on September 25 “He wants a climate change election. Let’s have that election at the right time.” 

The Liberal Party faces growing pressure from the Bloc Québécois and NDP. The Bloc set forth an ultimatum for the Liberal governing party to approve Bill C-319, which would enable a ten percent increase to Old Age Benefits, after blocking the no-confidence vote on September 25. 

Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois, said that Bill C-319 must be approved by October 29, or the Bloc would consider backing the Conservative motion for a snap election. 

“You do this before October 29 or we negotiate with the other opposition parties to have the government fall,” Blanchet said. 

The NDP has stood neutral to the Liberal Party’s carbon tax despite the NDP and Liberal Party remaining progressive with environmental policy, saying that the carbon tax could compound financial burdens on the working class. 

Jagmeet Singh, leader of the NDP, told reporters that Canadians have a choice in the October 2025 federal election to vote for him as Prime Minister as an alternative to the Conservatives and the Liberals. “We’re not going to let Pierre Poilievre tell us what to do. We’re not going to listen to someone who wants to cut the things that people need. Right now Canadians need relief,” Singh told reporters. 

The NDP and Bloc Québécois have backed the Liberal Party both times in Poilievre’s attempts to call a snap election. Currently, both the NDP and Bloc must support the no-confidence motion for it to take effect.

“We’re not going to let the leader of the Conservatives call the shots,” Singh said.