With Conservatives out, Liberals need Bloc or NDP support to avoid election

The fate of the Liberals' minority government now hangs in the balance, withthe Conservatives saying they can't support the throne speech andNDPLeader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Franois Blanchetsetting conditions for theirparty's support.

The throne speech will face a confidence vote in the House of Commons. If the governmentloses that vote, it falls and a general election is underway.

The Conservatives made their position known right after the speech, saying that there was no way their party could vote confidencein the government.

"It is another speech that is full of Liberal buzzwords and grand gestures with very little to no follow-up plan," said Conservative Deputy Leader Candice Bergen. "It doesn't speak at all of national unity, it doesn't speak at all of our energy sector and our workers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It doesn't talk about agriculture.

"We are very, very displeased with this speech from the throne. We are very concerned that there's no fiscal framework. The only thing that Canadians can be guaranteed of fiscally is there will be more debt."

• Poll Tracker:The latest federal poll averages and seat projections from the CBC's ric Grenier

Watch /Conservative Deputy Leader Candice Bergensays party won't support throne speech:

Conservatives won't support the throne speech

4 years ago

Duration 1:20

Conservative Deputy Leader Candice Bergen told reporters that her party has many reasons not to support the speech when it comes to a confidence vote in the coming weeks.

For the Liberal government to survive a vote of confidence in the House, it must have the support of at least one of the opposition parties. With the Conservatives ruling out their support, the Liberals will need the backing of either the Bloc Qubcois or the NDP.

Blanchet is currently in isolation, having tested positive for COVID-19. He made a televised address earlier this evening following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's address tothe nation, giving the prime ministera week to eithermeet his demands or risk the Bloc voting against the speech.

The Bloc leader decried the imposition of national standards for long-term care and the lack of a significant increase inhealth care funding for provinces.

"The Blocagrees that this is an affront to the jurisdiction of the NationalAssembly of Quebec and does not warrant the support of Quebec," Blanchet said. "Mr Trudeau has one week to provide unconditional transfers to Quebec for health care, otherwise the Bloc Qubcois will vote against this throne speech."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said going into the speech that before his party agrees tosupport it,he'llneed to see the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB)extended and paid sick leave offered toevery employee across the country to ensure no Canadian has to go to work sick.

It is a message he repeated to reporters after today's speech was delivered in the Senate.

"We are making it very clear to the prime minister if you want [NDP] support, if you want my support, then you have to stop the proposal to cut help to Canadians who cannot get back to work and make sure you put in place paid sick leave for all Canadian workers," Singh said.

Watch: Singh says NDP hasn't decided yet if its MPs will support throne speech:

NDP hasn't decided yet if its MPs will support throne speech

4 years ago

Duration 1:10

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spoke to reporters about items he wants the government to do before he will support the speech in a confidence vote.

Singh was reacting to the part of the speech that said the CERB was going to be phased out and that people receiving it would be transitioned over to the Employment Insurance system.

The EI system pays 55 per cent of a person's income, toa maximum of $575 per week. The CERBpaysout a maximum of $500 a week. But because EI is taxable at the source at both the provincial and federal level, and is based on income, the payment can be significantly lower per month than the CERB, which is taxed as a part of someone's total incomeat the end of the year, rather than before the payment is sent out.

Singh said that cutting the incomesof people who can'tfind work is unfair. It's not clearif that iswhat would take place.

The Liberals said in the speechthat while people receiving the CERB would be transitioned to the EI system, a new benefit the Canada Recovery Benefit would be created to ensure that people who would not have qualified for EI in the past are able to do sonow.

The speech also says that the EI system will be reformed but does not say what that reform will look like.

"This pandemic has shown that Canada needs anEI system for the 21st century, including for the self-employed and those in the gig economy," the speech said.

While there was nospecific mention of paid sick leave in the speech, the Liberal government announced $1.1 billion to pay for sick leave as part of the government's"safe restart" agreement. The program entails having the provinces use legislation or regulations to give workers 10 days of sick leave related to COVID-19.

Concern over EI reforms

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has thrown its support behind the speech. Its president Bill Karsten released a statement calling the speech "an encouraging and hopeful signal for cities and communities, and ... a clear statement that the federal government will be a partner to municipalities on the path forward."

Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, said his organization would like to see a fall economic statement that restores economic confidence. Hyder said he welcomes thepledges in the speech to help the energy and resource sectors achieve theirclimate goals, and the pitchesfor a national childcare program and investments in digital infrastructure.

Dan Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said he broadly welcomes many of the initiatives signaled in the speech but doeshave concerns about possible reforms to the EI system.

"One of my biggest worries in the throne speech is the prospect for permanent changes to the EI system," he said in a statement. "The self-employed needed pandemic support, but permanent EI coverage (and premiums) for entrepreneurs needs careful review and is fraught with landmines."

The politics of a throne speech in a pandemic | At Issue

4 years ago

Duration 11:10

The At Issue panel breaks down Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus messaging in the throne speech and his national address that followed. The panel also discusses the opposition parties reactions and whether the NDP will prop up the government.