Freeland's budget bill passes House after Poilievre pledges to block it
The federal budget implementation bill passed the House of Commons on Thursday, after days of Conservative attempts to block it.
By a vote of 177 to 146, Bill C-47, the Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1 as it's titled, passed the final stage in the House with support from the Liberals and NDP while the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois voted "nay." It is now off to the Senate, where a pre-study of the omnibus legislation is already underway.
The 430-page bill was tabled in April following Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unveiling a plan of continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care, and the clean economy.
After some hold-up at the House Finance Committee in May, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre came into the House this week with plans to try to halt its passage, after the Liberals signaled plans to use midnight sittings to work through the final stages of Bill C-47 over Monday and Tuesday.
This journey into the Official Opposition's procedural toolbox started with stacking the notice paper with more than 900 amendments seeking to wipe out most of the budget, and a demand from Poilievre that if the Liberals didn’t heed his demands to present a plan to balance the budget and cancel any future carbon price increases, that he'd use other measures to block it.
Then on Wednesday night, after MPs moved through the permissible amendments in batches, Poilievre vowed to filibuster debate at the final stage. Except the House had already passed a time allocation motion meaning that Poilievre could, and did, monopolize the final hours of debate, but he was cut off just before the clock struck midnight.
On Thursday, with the final vote already scheduled for Thursday afternoon, he came to the Hill with a new plan, telling reporters he was now willing, if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cancelled his other plans, to "work all summer long to rewrite a budget that balances budgets in order to bring down inflation and interest rates."
Poilievre said he thought his efforts this week, seeing the bill come to a vote a few days later than the Liberals had initially hoped, were "very successful."
By the time the vote took place, Poilievre was not in the Chamber, opting to vote virtually, instead.
The bill's passage was met with cheers from the government side of the House, while one opposition MP could be heard suggesting that now the Liberals could prorogue, a rumour that continues to circulate despite repeated government denials.
In criticizing the Conservatives for trying to hold up the rest of the budget this week, a number of Liberals rose in the House and posted on social media to highlight the workers benefits and housing affordability measures they said the Official Opposition was delaying seeing rolled out the door to Canadians.
"Does [Poilievre] not support dental care? ... Does he not support supports for workers or students? Does he not support the vast preponderance of what's in the budget which is for health care and for changing to the new economy?" said Government House Leader Mark Holland on Thursday.
With just a few weeks left before Parliament is slated to adjourn for the summer, even with the advanced study underway, it remains to be seen if Conservative senators try to tie up the legislation in their own ways.
In a move that had all-party backing, in May Freeland was able to fast-track and pass a bill that pulled out two measures from the federal budget: the grocery rebate and the health transfer top-ups.
IN DEPTH
Special rapporteur Johnston rejects call to 'step aside' after majority of MPs vote for him to resign
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside,' a call Johnston quickly rejected.
NDP MP wants 'democratic controls' on the prime minister's powers
A New Democrat MP is trying to convince his colleagues to change the rules that govern the House of Commons in a series of ways he says would instill 'democratic controls' on the prime minister's 'unfettered' powers.
As it happened: Deal reached between feds, union for 120,000 striking public servants
Monday morning, the Public Service Alliance of Canada announced it had reached a 'tentative' agreement with the federal government for the 120,000 picketing Treasury Board workers who, since April 19, had been engaged in one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. Here's a rundown of the developments from Parliament Hill as they happened.
MPs need to plug legislative 'holes' to address foreign interference before next election: party reps
The House committee studying foreign election interference heard from top 2019 and 2021 Liberal and Conservative campaign directors on Tuesday, with party officials from both camps speaking about the need for politicians to come together to address any "legislative gaps" ahead of the next vote.
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
Opinion
opinion | Don Martin: The lessons for Pierre Poilievre from the Alberta election
Danielle Smith's win in the Alberta election hands her the most starkly divided province confronting any premier in Canada, writes commentator Don Martin.
Opinion | Don Martin: David Johnston's reputation is but a smouldering ruin
Special rapporteur David Johnston didn't recommend public inquiry knowing it was a pathetically insufficient response for a foreign democratic assault of this magnitude, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion | Don Martin: Passport furor foreshadows a dirty-tricks campaign where perceptions will be reality
To frame a few new illustrations on pages tucked inside a passport as proof of a Liberal plot to purge the Canadian historical record seems like a severe stretch, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion | Don Martin: The stunning fall of the once-promising Marco Mendicino
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is a bright former federal prosecutor, who was destined to be a star in Justin Trudeau's cabinet. But in an opinion column on CTVNews.ca, Don Martin argues Mendicino has taken a stunning fall from grace, stumbling badly on important issues just 18 months into the job.
opinion | Don Martin: In the battle for Alberta, it's Smith versus her mouth
It's the most peculiar of elections with the frontrunner and her main opponent being the same person, writes columnist Don Martin. 'In the looming Alberta showdown, it's Premier Danielle Smith versus her mouth.'
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Trump charged over classified documents in 1st federal indictment of an ex-president
Donald Trump said Thursday that he has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, igniting a federal prosecution that is arguably the most perilous of multiple legal threats against the former U.S. president as he seeks to reclaim the White House.
Freeland's budget bill passes House after Poilievre pledges to block it
The federal budget implementation bill passed the House of Commons on Thursday, after days of Conservative attempts to block it.
Supreme Court of Canada won't hear unvaccinated woman's case for organ donation
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of an Alberta woman who was unwilling to be vaccinated in order to get a life-saving organ transplant.
Special rapporteur David Johnston cuts ties with crisis management firm Navigator
Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference has ended ties with crisis communications firm Navigator, his office confirmed on Thursday.
How the lack of gravity in space impacts astronauts’ brain
What happens to the brain when you take gravity away? According to a new study looking at astronauts both before and after space travel, that experience causes physical changes that researchers believe requires at least three years between longer missions to recover from.
Are more interest rate hikes on the way? Here's what experts say
In the wake of the Bank of Canada’s unexpected rate hike, economists are pointing to further tightening in the near term.
'Tremendous amount we could be doing': Expert shares tips for preventing, adapting to wildfires
As wildfires rage across Canada in what’s being called an unprecedented season, one expert says there’s more that individuals and communities can do to adapt and prevent forest fires from causing widespread devastation.
10-year-old girl survives more than 24 hours alone in the rugged Cascade mountains after getting lost while out with her family
Rescuers in Washington state are praising the resourcefulness of a 10-year-old girl who survived on her own for more than 24 hours in the rugged terrain of the Cascade mountains after getting lost while out with her family.
Wildfire battles continue as heat, air quality alerts affect most of Canada
Air pollution from wildfires remained well above healthy levels across much of southern and northern Ontario and several communities in British Columbia and Alberta on Thursday.