Throne speech adopted without a vote in House of Commons

On Wednesday, the government’s response to the Speech from the Throne was passed in the House of Commons. It was passed “by division,” meaning there was no recorded vote and it does not require a vote in the Senate.

Stephen McKinnon, the government’s leader in the House of Commons, said on social media that the passage of the speech would pave the way for a “strong and focused agenda.” “We have a clear mission to respond to the priorities of Canadians and build a strong Canada — and that’s exactly what we will do,” he said.

On the same day, New Democratic Party (NDP) interim leader Dan Davis announced that his party’s members would oppose the Speech from the Throne. Davis said 1.2 million Canadians sent the party to Parliament to defend working families, and the speech does not include such priorities. He also added that the government’s speech provided little detail on health care and housing programs.

McKinnon confirmed that the vote on the speech from the throne would be a vote of confidence in the government, the first serious test of Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. If the government loses the vote of confidence, an early election could be called.

While Davis said Canadians do not want an election now, he added: "Our party is taking a principled approach. This is a clear message that this is not a speech based on workers' rights and we cannot support it."

McKinnon had said before the Liberal Party meeting on Wednesday that her party was confident the speech would pass, but did not say whether it had secured support from other parties.

The Conservative Party did not say how it would vote.

During a parliamentary debate that same day, Green Party leader Elizabeth May said she would vote in favour of the speech. He said he agreed with the main thrust of the speech — building a stronger Canada — but the speech lacked sufficient detail and only mentioned climate change in passing.

The Liberal government was defeated in a vote on Monday when opposition members were able to amend the response to the Speech from the Throne to require the government to provide an economic update before the summer recess. It was not a vote of confidence.

Liberal Party discipline chief Mark Gertsen insisted that nothing much happened in that vote, even though the Liberals lost by a margin of 166 to 164.

The Speech from the Throne focuses on building Canada’s economy by accelerating national priority projects and accelerating new housing construction. But opposition leaders say the speech is mostly rhetoric and does not explain how the government plans to cut spending.

The Liberal minority government currently has 169 members (including the Speaker, who only casts a tie vote). So it must work with other parties to pass bills and pass confidence votes.

The New Democrats, which previously had a confidence-and-security agreement with the Liberal government, have said they are not prepared to enter into a formal agreement with Mark Carney's government. Although the party won just seven seats in the recent election, it could still hold the balance of power.

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