Copyright ipolitics
Green Leader Elizabeth May doesn’t want the Liberal government to fall during next week’s vote on the federal budget — but that doesn’t mean she’s willing to support it. In an interview with iPolitics, May said she’s still unlikely to vote with the government because of the budget’s insufficient climate measures and a lack of commitments to pre-existing emissions targets, though she’s still in ongoing negotiations with the Liberals. “Lines of communication remain open,” she said. “And I’m hoping we’re able to put something together in terms of a compromise.” “I can vote for this budget even if I have to hold my nose.” But, for now, May said she’s still leaning towards opposing the government’s economic plan when it comes to a vote in the House of Commons on Monday. She pointed to the government’s plan to scrap the oil and gas emissions cap, scheduled closures for Pacific salmon funding, along with the absence of new money for home retrofit or public transit programs, as examples of why she cannot vote with the Liberals. “There was much less for climate in this budget than I had thought, even when my expectations were low,” she said. “I’d be prepared to accept less than ideal, but there needs to be commitments.” More specifically, May called for language reaffirming Canada’s commitment to the 2015 Paris Accord, which sought to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, to be added to the budget. The lone Green MP’s decision may be crucial in determining whether the government survive’s next week budget vote, which is also automatically a confidence vote. Following Chris d’Entremont’s decision to join the government benches last week, the Liberals hold 170 seats, though House Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia would only cast a vote in the event of a tie. Combined, the Conservatives, Bloc, NDP and May account for 172 seats, excluding Tory MP Matt Jeneroux who recently announced he plans to leave from federal politics. Essentially, the Liberals need two votes to ensure the budget’s passage, assuming every MP participates. Interim NDP Leader Don Davies has also suggested his party is considering abstaining from the vote, which would allow the Liberals to stay in power without any opposition party’s support. “I’m half of the votes [the government] needs right now,” said May. “We’re on a razor-thin edge here… and I feel a tremendous responsibility.” “[Another election] could absolutely happen.” The Liberals have already survived two confidence votes, as the Bloc and NDP helped the government defeat a non-confidence motion embedded in the Conservatives’ subamendment to the budget last week. Meanwhile, the Conservatives voted with the Liberals in opposition of a Bloc budgetary amendment, which also moved a non-confidence motion. Notably, the NDP and May both supported the Bloc amendment, which called on Parliament to reject the government’s overarching budgetary direction. The Green leader suggested that Prime Minister Mark Carney, while gifted in many areas, hasn’t demonstrated the soft skills necessary to navigate a fragile minority situation. “He knows how to be a brilliant central banker, he knows how to talk to the masters of the universe… but what he doesn’t know sufficiently is how Parliament works,” said May. “You can use these levers when you’re a central banker or CEO, but they don’t always work perfectly in the imperfect arena of Parliament.” She also cited the possibility for parliamentarians to trigger another election “on accident,” referencing the defeat of Joe Clark’s Progressive Conservative government on a budget vote in 1979. As an example, May noted that Conservative MP Michael Chong didn’t vote on his own party’s subamendment to the budget last week, which she said was because of a travel issue. “We could see all kinds of things happen,” continued May. “There could be another mistake.” “All things being equal, which they are not, I’d like the prime minister to succeed in his first budget… but if I were betting right now, I would bet on voting no.”
