Poilievre says he will trigger non-confidence vote in Trudeau government at earliest opportunity

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Wednesday his party will put forward a non-confidence motion «at the earliest possible opportunity» when Parliament resumes this fall in an effort to trigger a federal election.

Poilievre said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh must join his effort to bring down the Trudeau government or see his move to tear up the NDP's deal with the Liberals dismissed as a meaningless «stunt.»

«It's put up or shut up time for the NDP,» Poilievre told reporters outside Parliament Hill's West Block.

Last week, Singh announced he was ending the supply-and-confidence agreement, or SACA as it's known in parliamentary circles, that had ensured the Liberal minority government's survival for the last two-plus years in exchange for policy action.

«Jagmeet Singh claims that he's torn up the supply-and-confidence agreement,» Poilievre said. «That means he has to vote non-confidence. Or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?»

Poilievre claimed Singh's timing was politically motivated as his decision to leave the SACA came just before two federal byelections on Monday.

The NDP is trying to pull off an upset in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, a long-time Liberal seat, and hold the Winnipeg-area riding of Elmwood-Transcona they've carried for most of the last three decades.

Poilievre said the NDP leader is just trying to «trick» voters into thinking the NDP isn't closely aligned with the governing party.

«The byelections will be held Monday, after which [Singh] can just change his mind and go back to voting to keep [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau in power,» Poilievre said.

Singh said he had to tear up the SACA now because the Liberals haven't done enough to rein in «corporate greed,» and accused Trudeau of letting Canadians down.

Bu