OTTAWA, Sept 25 – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brushed aside a vote of confidence on Wednesday. The Conservative Party, his main political opposition, could not garner enough votes to defeat the government, which had been in power for nine years. The vote in the House of Commons was 211 to 120 against the motion proposed by the Conservative Party.

Due to soaring prices and a housing crisis, the prime minister’s popularity has declined recently. His situation became even more unstable after the New Democratic Party (NDP) dissolved its accord to back him until the next election, projected at the end of October 2025.

Senior Liberal leader Karina Gould said, “Today was a good day for the country because I don’t think Canadians want an election.” Yet Trudeau’s task is still more challenging. The head of the separatist Bloc Quebecois said he would do everything he could to bring down the government unless it rapidly committed to his party’s demands.

The Liberals will likely vote on the budget shortly, which may erode their confidence in the election. Gould said they were going to negotiate with other parties on various issues. The Conservatives lead in opinion polls, and they want an election sooner rather than later. They claim Canadians can’t afford a proposed increase in the federal carbon tax, and crime keeps rising under the Liberals.

Trudeau said the government acknowledged public concerns but faulted the Conservatives with doing politics and not the people’s business. Bloc leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said he would remain faithful to Trudeau until the end of December if the government assists older people and saves dairy farmers in Quebec. If this is not accomplished by October 29, the Bloc may seek coalition partners from other parties to out Trudeau, given polls now suggest the NDP could also falter in an election.