Conservative Canadian leader gunning to topple Trudeau government

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) – Canada may be plunged into a federal election if the Conservatives follow through with a promised no-confidence vote early next week, Canadian media reported Tuesday.

The Conservatives need the support of the Bloc Quebecois or the New Democrat Party (NDP) to outvote the Liberals, and if that happens, it will trigger an election.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party is sailing high in public polling, and the Liberals, who are almost as far down as the Titanic in the same poll, promised to force an election at the first opportunity.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself opened the door for Poilievre.

He decreed that Tuesday, Sept. 24 would be Opposition Day, allowing Poilievre his chance to introduce the no-confidence vote in the legislature, CBC News reported.

But while the Conservatives are the official opposition party, they need the support of the NDP or the Bloc Quebecois party to have enough votes to bring the government down if the no-confidence motion is introduced. If that happens, the motion will be voted on on Wednesday. Sept. 25, and if one of the other parties votes with the Conservatives, the Trudeau government could fall.

There is no guarantee that will happen. Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet told the CBC that his party will not vote with the Conservatives.

“I’m not in the business of replacing Justin Trudeau with Pierre Poilievre,” he said.

It is also unclear whether the NDP will join with the Conservatives to topple the Trudeau government.

There was no immediate comment from Trudeau, but it was the prime minister who gave over Tuesday to the Conservatives, giving Poilievre the chance to introduce the no-confidence vote if he so wished.