Carney discussing budget plans with Poilievre, Blanchet on Wednesday

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is busy meeting with opposition leaders on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming federal budget as Liberal MPs urge opposition parties to support the government’s agenda.

Carney met with Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet in the morning, before his party’s caucus meeting, and will be meeting with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre Wednesday afternoon, according to spokespeople from each party.

Audrey Champoux, from the Prime Minister’s Office, also said a meeting with interim NDP Leader Don Davies took place on Oct. 1 and a meeting with Green Party Leader Elizabeth May took place on Oct. 2.

Sam Lilly, manager of media relations for Poilievre, said that the Conservative leader “will be laying out his case to table an affordable budget for an affordable Canada.”

Bloc spokeswoman Joanie Riopel said Blanchet reiterated the party’s stance on the upcoming budget during the meeting. The Bloc has previously laid out six “non-negotiable” demands for Quebec, which include increases to health transfers and Old Age Security.

The meetings are happening before Carney is set to make an address on his government’s plan to “build a stronger economy” in the evening. He is also set to travel to Malaysia and South Korea to attend two international summits before coming back on Nov. 1.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is expected to table the budget on Nov. 4. The minority Liberals need three votes from the opposition parties in order for the budget to pass.

On Wednesday, members of the Liberal government were again making the case that the onus is on opposition parties to explain why they would not support the upcoming budget and therefore plunge the country into a snap election for the second time this year.

Budget votes are confidence votes, so if all opposition parties decide not to support it, that means that the government has to resign or seek the dissolution of Parliament.

“If there has to be an election, we will confidently take our plan to the people, but we don’t think an election is necessary,” said Government House Leader Steve MacKinnon.

MacKinnon, whose job is to convince the opposition parties to support the government’s agenda, said he has “no assurances” at this point that the budget is going to pass.

“The opposition parties are, in my view, being very, very cavalier,” he said.

Liberal caucus chair James Maloney said he is “confident” the budget will be adopted.

“I hope it passes. I’m not worried at this stage,” he said.

Champagne said he hopes opposition parties are tuned into “the mood of the nation,” which he said is “about building, about protecting Canadians, about empowering Canadians.”

“The last thing I think Canadians want to see is political parties positioning themselves. What they want is to see people supporting the government to make sure… we can deliver for them,” he said.

Speaking to reporters, Blanchet said it is not his responsibility to make sure the government survives a confidence vote and said it is up to the Liberals to negotiate in good faith.

“It’s their job to find common ground with one opposition party, whichever it may be, to get through this budget psychodrama,” he said.

Blanchet added that Carney’s tone, during their meeting, earlier in the day, was “more reasonable” than the views expressed by his ministers.

MacKinnon said there have been “numerous discussions” with the opposition about the budget and that the government is considering their suggestions to the fiscal document.

He joked that, during the budget vote, a few Conservative MPs who may be disgruntled with Poilievre’s recent comments on the RCMP , might “find a time to go to the bathroom.”

With a handful of abstentions, the budget could also end up being adopted and Canadians would be spared an election.

National Post
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