Poilievre says Conservatives will use 'procedural tools' to block budget unless demands are met

The Conservatives have introduced more than 900 amendments to the federal government'sbudget and are promising to do whatever it takes to halt its passage through Parliament unless the government meets two key demands.

"We will continue to fight for these two demands a plan to balance the budget to lower interest rates and inflation, and no new carbon tax hikes," Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday.

"If the government does not meet these demands, we will use all procedural tools at our disposal to block the budget from passing, including900 amendments, lengthy speeches and other procedural tools that are in our toolkit."

Poilievreargued deficit spending is feeding inflation and driving up interest rates and the government needs to demonstrate that it'smoving towarda balanced budget.

"This is already a crisis but it will become a massive financial crisis in the next several years if we do not bring the inflation and interest rates back under control," he said.

Poilievre repeated his promise to cancel the federal government's carbon pricing program if he becomes prime minister. He said hewon't ask the Liberals to go that far.

"We understand that would not be a realistic ask of this government because of their policy," he said. "However,we think a reasonable compromise in the interim [would] be for them to cancel planned carbon tax increases."

WATCH |Poilievre says Conservatives will 'block the budget'if demands not met:

Poilievre says if demands not met, Tories will 'block the budget'

1 year ago

Duration 0:38

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre says his two demands are a plan to balance the budget to lower interest rates and inflation, and no new carbon tax hikes.

The Conservatives say they're moving to thisstrategy following a series of attempts to stall the budget bill's passagethrough the House of Commons.

Those effortsincluded fighting for more witnesses and introducing amendments and other tactics at committee that forced more than 600 votes before the bill could be moved to report stage.

On Friday, Conservative MP Garnett Genuis complained to House Speaker Anthony Rota that while the bill was beforecommittee, his right to vote and move amendments, to speak and to raise points about the bill were beingrestrictedby the Liberal committee chair.

Rota told the House Monday in his ruling that the committee had agreed to limit the timeframe forsubmitting amendments. Hedismissed the complaints made by Genuis, saying he "fails to see how the rights and privileges of the member were breached."

The Conservatives also claimed that a vote heldFriday happenedat short notice and there were technical issues involvingpeople voting virtually that frustrated the process.

Rota dismissed both complaints, saying that votes can be held on any day and MPs must be prepared for that.

He also said that his office probed the possibility of technical issues with the vote but found none. Hereminded MPs that if they're going to be voting virtually, it's their responsibility to ensure they have the equipment they need in working order.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed Poilievre's threat, saying the Conservative leaderhas "no plan for the economy,proposes nothing but cuts."

WATCH |Trudeau reacts to Poilievre threatening to block budget:

Trudeau reacts to Poilievre threatening to block budget

1 year ago

Duration 2:18

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre threatening to use procedural tools to block the budget. Trudeau says the government is going to continue to put support for Canadians at the centre of everything [they] do despite the Conservative leaders effort to harm Canadians so he can attack this government.

"When he's blocking the budget ... he's blocking things like the doubling of the tax credit for trades people on their tools the anti-flipping measures that we've brought in in this last budget to protect home owners and home buyers from speculation and he's blocking the enhancement of the Canada Worker's Benefit," Trudeau said.

"These are real-life consequences for the political and partisan games that the leader of the Official Opposition is engaging in."

On Monday afternoon, Deputy Speaker Carol Hughes tossed out more than 200 of the 904 amendments, saying they were repetitive and should have been introduced at the committee stage.She also bundled most of the remaining amendments into four groups that will dealt with together.

While the Conservatives can delay the bill, it willpasseventually if the Liberals and the New Democrats continue to vote as a block in favour of the bill.