Poilievre says he will try to trigger federal election as soon as possible

Days before the House of Commons returns for the fall session, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he will try to trigger a federal election as soon as possible.

Speaking on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, Poilievre confirmed what he has hinted at before — that he wants to send Canadians to the polls and will move a motion at the earliest possible time to take down the government.

“The ‘Common Sense Conservatives’ will put forward a non-confidence motion at the earliest possible opportunity,” he said.

Poilievre also challenged the NDP to vote with the Conservatives after tearing up their supply and confidence deal with the governing Liberals, and to commit to do so before Monday’s byelections.

“Will you vote to keep your friend Justin Trudeau in the costly coalition in power, or will you allow Canadians to choose in a carbon-tax election? That is the decision,” the Conservative leader said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre.

“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.

“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”

While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote.

“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.

Poilievre also called on the Bloc Québécois MPs to join the Conservatives in bringing down the government. The party has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking at his caucus meeting in Nanaimo, B.C., said he can’t wait to take on the Conservatives this fall and contrast their positions with his plan to invest in Canadians.

“The answer the Conservatives are bringing forward is, ‘oh no, we’ll create growth and opportunities through cutting programs Canadians are relying on,'” Trudeau said.

On Monday, voters will be going to the the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle-Émard-Verdun riding and in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood-Transcona.

The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.

With files from The Canadian Press