Latest news with #thronespeech


National Post
04-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Liberal government's throne speech passes in House of Commons without a vote
OTTAWA — The government's reply to the throne speech was adopted in the House of Commons Wednesday. Article content It was adopted 'on division,' meaning no recorded vote was held. It does not need a vote in the Senate. Article content Article content Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Steven MacKinnon said on social media that the adoption of the speech sets the stage for a 'strong and focused agenda.' Article content Article content 'We have a clear mandate to deliver on priorities for Canadians and build a strong Canada — and we're going to do just that,' MacKinnon said. Article content Article content Earlier Wednesday, interim NDP Leader Don Davies said New Democrat MPs would vote against the government's throne speech. Article content After a caucus meeting, Davies said that 1.2 million Canadians sent New Democrats to Parliament to advocate for working families and those priorities aren't reflected in the speech. Article content Davies said the speech offers few details about the government's plans for health care and housing. Article content MacKinnon said the vote on the throne speech was a confidence matter, which means it was the first real test of Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. Article content If the government loses a confidence vote, it's defeated — which can lead to a snap election. Article content Davies said that while Canadians don't want an election right now, his party was taking a 'principled approach.' Article content 'It's a clear message that this throne speech is not a worker-centric throne speech,' he said. 'We can't support a throne speech that so badly misses the mark in terms of the economic and social policies that people need in this country.' Article content Article content MacKinnon said before the Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday that the caucus was confident the throne speech would pass. Article content He would not say if his party had secured the support of other parties, referring questions directly to those parties. Article content He said that while the Liberals have a minority government, they also have a mandate to deliver for Canadians. Article content The Conservatives did not say how the party would vote. Article content In the House of Commons Wednesday, during a debate on the reply to the throne speech, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said she would vote in favour of the speech. Article content May said she agreed with the major theme of the speech — building a stronger Canada — but said it lacked details and only mentioned climate change in 'passing references.' Article content The Liberals lost a vote Monday evening when opposition members successfully amended the reply to the throne speech to call on the government to table an economic update before Parliament breaks for the summer. That vote was not a matter of confidence.


CTV News
04-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Interim NDP leader says party will vote against throne speech
Prime Minister Mark Carney is seen outside his office prior to a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA -- Interim NDP Leader Don Davies says New Democrat MPs will vote against the government's throne speech today. Davies says the NDP caucus met Wednesday morning and decided that the party will vote 'no.' He says 1.2 million Canadians sent New Democrats to Parliament to advocate for working families and those priorities aren't reflected in the speech. Davies says the speech lacks details about health care and housing. A speech from the throne is traditionally a confidence matter, which means it would be the first real test of Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. If the government loses a confidence vote, it could be defeated. House Leader Steven MacKinnon said before the party's caucus meeting earlier today that the Liberals are confident the throne speech will pass. -- With files from David Baxter This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press

CBC
04-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
NDP to vote against throne speech, forcing Liberals to find support elsewhere
Interim NDP Leader Don Davies says his party will be voting against the government's throne speech, meaning the Liberals will need to get support from another opposition party to survive the confidence vote. Davies told reporters on Parliament Hill on Wednesday that the throne speech doesn't emphasize some key priorities that the NDP want included, such as health care and employment benefits. "It's a clear message that this throne speech is not a worker-centred throne speech and it does not deliver the priorities that we heard from millions of Canadians across this country," Davies said. "We can't support a speech that so badly misses the mark in terms of the economic and social policies people need in this country." A government's throne speech is traditionally a confidence vote, meaning if it doesn't pass the government could fall and Canadians could potentially be facing another election this year. The NDP was reduced to seven seats in April's election. But with the Liberals just a few seats short of a majority, the party still has some sway in this Parliament. Without the NDP, the Liberals will need backing from either the Conservatives or the Bloc Québécois to pass the throne speech.


CTV News
04-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
MPs to vote on government's speech from the throne in confidence motion
Prime Minister Mark Carney is seen outside his office prior to a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — The Liberal minority government's first real test comes today as MPs are scheduled to vote on the government's throne speech. The Liberals lost a vote Monday evening when opposition members successfully amended the speech to call on the government to table an economic update before Parliament breaks for the summer. Government whip Mark Gerretsen insisted nothing went wrong with that vote despite the Liberals losing it by a count of 166 to 164. However, the vote on the throne speech itself is a confidence vote, which means that if the government loses it, it could be forced into a general election. The speech focuses heavily on building up the Canadian economy by fast-tracking projects it considers to be in the national interest, and moving faster to build new homes. Opposition party leaders say the speech is vague, relies too much on slogans and doesn't explain how the government plans to scale back its spending. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.


National Post
03-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Liberals downplay narrowly lost vote demanding spring budget
OTTAWA — The Liberals downplayed a vote on the throne speech they narrowly lost Monday evening to all the opposition parties which urges the government to present an economic update or a budget before the House of Commons rises for the summer on June 20. Article content Article content The sub-amendment, brought forward by Conservative interim leader Andrew Scheer, called for a 'firm commitment' to present a fiscal overview of the country's finances this spring 'that incorporates measures aimed at unleashing Canada's economic potential.' Article content It was adopted Monday by 166 votes — comprised of the Conservatives, the Bloc Québécois, the NDP and Green Party's Elizabeth May — against 164 Liberal votes. Article content Article content It is, however, a non-binding vote, meaning that the government is under no obligation to present a spring economic update or a budget. But the vote in this new minority Parliament showed how opposition parties can aspire to go up against the government and its razor-thin margin in the House. Article content Mark Gerretsen, the chief government whip who is responsible for ensuring that Liberal MPs attend and vote in the way the party desires, insisted nothing went wrong. Article content 'We knew the outcome of what that vote was going to be,' he told reporters on Tuesday. Article content Gerretsen said Liberals have 169 MPs, one of whom is the House Speaker, and four MPs did not vote because of 'paired abstentions.' Those happen when parties agree to have a member sit out a vote because someone from another party is not able to attend. Article content 'Every single person that was supposed to vote yesterday voted,' he said. Article content Justice Minister Sean Fraser admitted the government is in 'new territory' with its minority mandate and parties can sway things on any given vote with very thin margins. Article content 'I try not to bake feelings into these things. They're math challenges, not problems with feelings. But we have to make sure that we do the work necessary to try to collaborate with parties across the aisle in order to implement the mandate that Canadians have given us.' Article content Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said last month there would be no federal budget in the spring, but a fall economic statement. Shortly after, Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government would present a budget during the fall session instead. Article content 'We will have a much more comprehensive, effective, ambitious, prudent budget in the fall,' he said during a media availability in Rome, where he was to commemorate Pope Leo XIV's inaugural mass. 'You do these things right and that's what we're going to do.'