NDP interim leader Don Davies speaks to reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
New Democrat MPs are set to vote against the government’s throne speech Wednesday, interim NDP Leader Don Davies said.
After a Wednesday caucus meeting, Davies said that 1.2 million Canadians sent New Democrats to Parliament to advocate for working families and those priorities aren’t reflected in the speech.
Davies said the speech offers few details about the government’s plans for health care and housing.
Government House leader Steven MacKinnon has said the vote on the throne speech is a confidence matter, which means it’s the first real test of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government.
If the government loses a confidence vote, it’s defeated – which could lead to a snap election.
Davies said that while Canadians don’t want an election right now, his party is taking a “principled approach.”
“It’s a clear message that this throne speech is not a worker-centric throne speech,” he said. “We can’t support a throne speech that so badly misses the mark in terms of the economic and social policies that people need in this country.”
MacKinnon said before the Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday that the caucus is confident the throne speech will pass.
MacKinnon would not say if his party has secured the support of other parties, referring questions directly to those parties.
He said that while the Liberals have a minority government, they also have a mandate to deliver for Canadians.
The Conservatives have not said how the party will vote.
The Liberals lost a vote Monday evening when opposition members successfully amended the reply to the throne speech to call on the government to table an economic update before Parliament breaks for the summer. That vote was not a matter of confidence.
Government whip Mark Gerretsen insisted that nothing went wrong with that vote, despite the Liberals losing it 166 to 164.
The throne speech focuses heavily on building up the Canadian economy by fast-tracking projects the government considers to be in the national interest, and moving faster to build new homes.
Opposition party leaders say the speech is vague, relies too much on slogans and doesn’t explain how the government plans to scale back its spending.
The minority Liberal government has 169 MPs, including House Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia – who does not vote, except in the event of a tie.
Without a majority, the Liberals have to work with other parties to pass legislation and survive confidence motions.
The NDP, which had a supply-and-confidence agreement with the previous Liberal government, has said it will not enter a formal arrangement to support Carney’s government. The NDP was reduced to seven MPs in the recent election but could still hold the balance of power.