Members of Parliament are set to vote on a government request for billions of dollars in funding as the clock ticks down on a deadline.
Last month, the Liberals asked Parliament to approve $21.6 billion in spending through the supplementary estimates.
The money will go to fund the First Nations child and family services program, and to compensate the Quebec government for services for asylum seekers, among other programs.
But there had been uncertainty over whether the vote would even happen before Tuesday’s deadline.
Parliament has been paralyzed for months as the Conservatives press the Liberals to hand over documents relating to hundreds of millions of dollars of misspending on a green-tech fund.
The issue is the focus of an ongoing privilege debate, which the Conservatives have pledged to keep going until they get what they want.
Privilege matters take precedence over nearly all other House affairs, so government business has been almost entirely stalled.
In a ruling last week, citing House of Commons rules and procedures, Speaker Greg Fergus said he would exercise his authority to pause the privilege debate so that the vote on government spending can proceed.
Fergus also ruled that the remaining opposition day motions could be introduced before their Dec. 10 deadline too.
The Conservatives will introduce a motion focused on fentanyl for their final opposition day of the year.
The text of the motion calls for the government to reverse Bill C-5 that repealed mandatory minimum sentences, ban the importation of fentanyl precursors, increase resources at ports to search for fentanyl and its precursors and stop buying “unsafe supply” opioids.
“Unsafe supply” is a term Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has used to describe the government’s safer supply programs aimed at reducing opioid overdoses. The Conservatives have repeatedly pushed the issue of drug diversion from these centres.
This motion, and another Conservative motion to remove the GST on new homes valued at under $1 million, will both be up for a vote after question period.
The Conservatives previously signalled they would force non-confidence votes with all of their opposition motions, but neither of these motions contain that language.
Supplementary estimates have to be voted on by Dec. 10, or the government wouldn’t have authority to spend additional money.
The debate is set to happen Tuesday evening, and the spending might not go to a vote until Wednesday morning. Per new procedure rules adopted back in February, the government can suspend a sitting day at midnight, pausing proceedings until 9 a.m. the following day if debate on a spending matter isn’t finished.
“Oh gosh, I don’t want to predetermine anything. I don’t want to tempt fate or the universe,” government House leader Karina Gould told reporters on Monday when asked how she thinks the vote might play out.
“I’m looking forward to having the vote. There’s a lot of really good things in there for Canadians, and it’s important we get this done. This is what Parliament is here for.”
Among other asks in the supplementary estimates is $561 million for the Department of National Defence for its Canadian multi-mission aircraft project.
“This funding is needed now for quarterly payment under the delivery plan we have with the United States government for the acquisition of up to 16 P-8A Poseidon aircraft,” a Defence Department spokesperson said in a statement.
The P-8A Poseidons are to replace Canada’s current maritime patrol aircraft, the CP-140 Aurora, which have been in service for more than 40 years.
“We are expecting first delivery of the aircraft in 2026,” a department spokesperson said.
The First Nations child and family services program ask is for $955.2 million, which Indigenous Services Canada says is “to ensure continued compliance with Canadian Human Rights Tribunal orders and allow the continued delivery of supports.”
The money for the Quebec asylum seekers is a $581.3 million request through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
All three departments said none of those asks are for money which has already been spent. If the funds aren’t approved, the Immigration Department said it might look to dip into government contingency funds to repay the province, while the Defence Department said it could encounter problems meeting contractual obligations and keeping the projects on track.
The outcome of the vote, however, is all but a foregone conclusion. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters last week his party would vote the supplementary estimates through, since there’s additional money for the government’s new dental care program — $317 million worth.
