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It’s safe to say these probably weren’t the headlines Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives were hoping for this week. Two announced departures from the Conservative caucus have overshadowed Poilievre’s criticisms of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s inaugural budget, shifting the focus back to Poilievre’s leadership ahead of his party’s convention in January.While the circumstances around Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont’s defection to the Liberals and Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux’s out-of-the-blue early retirement differ, both were political gifts to the Carney government.Two connected Tories who spoke to Global News worried they were more symptoms of a “malaise” that has fallen over the party since April’s election loss.“In caucus, there’s a reasonably widespread concern that maybe Pierre can n...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size The Liberal government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to face its second confidence vote in the House of Commons on Friday, after it survived the first on Thursday. The confidence vote, expected around 1:45 p.m. eastern, will be on an amendment to the budget put forward by the Bloc Québécois.This comes after the NDP, the Bloc Québécois and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May voted with the minority Liberals to defeat a Conservative sub-amendment to the budget in the House of Commons on Thursday.The Conservative measure was a sub-amendment to the Bloc’s own budget amendment.Governments must win confidence votes in order to remain in power. ...

Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux said Thursday he is resigning as a member of Parliament, becoming the second Conservative to leave the caucus this week after the Liberal government released its federal budget. The member for Edmonton Riverhead, who has served the riding since 2015, did not say in a statement posted online why he was leaving.“It was not an easy decision, but it is, I believe, the right one,” he said.Jeneroux said he had hoped Canadians would “put their faith” in a Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre in the last federal election, but added he has “great admiration” for his fellow MPs “on both sides of the aisle.”“Their work gives me faith that the momentum toward a stronger and more unified Canada endures,” he wrote. Story continues below advertisement ...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government will face its first confidence vote over the federal budget on Thursday evening, with another to follow the next day. The House of Commons is set to vote Thursday on a Conservative subamendment to the budget, followed by a Bloc Quebecois amendment vote on Friday.A spokesperson for Government House Leader Steven Mackinnon told Global News that Carney has made the determination to make both issues confidence votes.“They are matters of confidence,” communications director Mark Kennedy said.NDP interim leader Don Davies told reporters his seven-member caucus will vote with the minority Liberals to defeat the Conservative measure, which seeks to add its s...