OTTAWA — Canadians might not be heading to a Christmas election after all, as the NDP is keeping all its options open — including abstention — on the budget vote.
But at least one New Democrat is breaking ranks and saying she will not be abstaining.
The Liberal minority government will need the support of at least one other party to pass the budget, which is being tabled on Tuesday in the House of Commons. To date, the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois have hinted they would be voting against it.
Interim NDP Leader Don Davies said on Monday that his caucus would not be taking a clear position on the budget before any of its members could carefully read the document.
“We’re going to read the budget, we’ll study it carefully, we’ll consult stakeholders, and we’re going to analyze it through the lens of whether it’s good for working people,” he said.
“All options are on the table. Until we read the budget, we really can’t say,” he added.
However, NDP MP Jenny Kwan has made her position clear: “I will not abstain,” said the MP for Vancouver East.
Her colleague, Leah Gazan, echoed her interim leader’s message that “nothing’s off the table” but said that the New Democrats cannot vote in favour of an “austerity budget.”
Davies said he expects the seven-member NDP caucus to vote the same way. The party is set to hold a first meeting to discuss their position after the budget is tabled on Tuesday and a second one during their weekly caucus gathering on Wednesday morning.
The minority Liberals, holding 169 seats — three short of a majority — must find support or abstentions from at least three opposition MPs to keep their budget, and their government, alive in the upcoming confidence vote. The vote could happen as early as mid-November.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he’s prepared to fight an election campaign if his Liberal government fails to pass their first fiscal plan.
He said his budget is what Canadians need at a critical time for the country.
“I am 100 per cent confident that this budget is the right budget for this country at this moment,” Carney told reporters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea on Saturday. “This is not a game,” he added.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was asked at a news conference Sunday if his party wants an election before Christmas.
“We want an affordable budget that will give Canadians an affordable life before Christmas,” he replied, adding that: “We will not vote to raise grocery prices and increase housing costs, as the Liberals have done over the last decade.”
Poilievre was also asked if his party had ruled out the option of abstaining. He did not directly answer the question.
“The reality is that we’re going to show up and do our jobs to fight for an affordable budget,” said Poilievre. “I can’t tell you any more than that till I see the thing.”
The Bloc Québécois, which has 22 MPs, has previously ruled out abstaining on the budget vote. The party has laid out 18 budget demands, which include increasing Old Age Security payments and boosting health transfers to the provinces.
On Monday, as per tradition, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne was busy shopping for the new shoes he would wear on budget day. However, unlike prior finance ministers, he opted to “build” the shoes at Boulet Boots, a local business in his riding in Quebec.
“It brings us back to the basics. This is a budget of investments, a budget that will favour growth, a budget that will mark a pivot, I think, in the country’s economic history,” said the minister in French, as he was busy cutting the leather for the fabrication of his shoes.
Champagne said there would be “no surprises” in his first budget.
“Canadians have asked us to do, build big, bold things. They expect us to do things differently. So, we’re going to make generational investments that will build our country.”
Champagne said there will be something for every political party — investments in housing, infrastructure, defence, as well as more money to increase productivity.
“This is a budget that talks to everyday Canadians, the workers that you’ve seen here, the members of our Armed Forces, the innovators, the entrepreneurs, the families in Canada.
“That’s the kind of budget we need to meet the moment,” he said.
Once again, the question of the budget and the possibility of an election dominated much of question period on Monday, as the governing Liberals and the opposition parties took turns accusing each other of wanting an unnecessary and costly election.
“It’s ridiculous that, 24 hours away from the budget, Liberals are still not negotiating and are merely threatening a Christmas election,” said Christine Normandin from the Bloc.
Davies said it is up to Carney to craft a budget in a minority Parliament that can earn the support of one other party.
“It’s not my job. I don’t hold the pen. I’m not the government,” he said.
Whatever happens, some Conservative MPs said they were ready to go back to the polls just seven months after the last election.
Kevin Waugh said he was counting his campaign signs over the weekend, just in case, whereas colleague Brad Vis said his were “always ready.”
National Post, with a file from Simon Tuck
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