Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau survives a no confidence vote

Friday, September 27, 2024 

Justin Trudeau pictured in 2023.
Image: PascalHD.

On Wednesday, the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, survived a vote of no confidence. The House of Commons voted 211-120 to defeat a motion declaring a lack of confidence in Trudeau’s minority Liberal government. The motion was put by the Conservative Party, also known as 'Tories', which is the official opposition.

119 Conservative members of parliament voted in favor of the motion, while 153 Liberal members of the parliament voted against it, as did most of the remaining members, mostly comprised of the New Democratic party and Bloc Québécois. The parliament included 338 members in total, and a majority of votes was required for the motion to pass.

The Conservative party had a substantial lead in polls ahead of the upcoming election and its leader Pierre Poilievre urged members of Parliament to vote for the motion. The party intended to file more no-confidence motions. For a motion to be successful, it would need the approval of other parties.

The vote came after the New Democratic party backed out of a 2022 agreement to keep Trudeau in power until an election, which is scheduled for October 2025. This decision left the Prime Minister less supported, The Guardian reported.

Yves-François Blanchet of Bloc Québécois stated he would work to topple the Liberal government through legislative means unless it accepted the Bloc's conditions.

Trudeau's Liberal party has been in power for nine years. However, according to a poll taken in June, Justin Trudeau's approval rating is 28 percent.

Conservatives had a big lead in the opinion polls ahead of an election that must be called by the end of October 2025.

Sources

• Reuters in Ottawa. "Justin Trudeau survives confidence vote but other problems still loom" — The Guardian, September 25, 2024
• Nadine Yousif. "Canada's Trudeau survives no-confidence vote in parliament" — BBC, September 25, 2024