
CP NewsAlert: NDP will not be granted official party status: MacKinnon
OTTAWA – Government House leader Steven MacKinnon says the NDP will not be granted official party status because the Parliament of Canada Act says a party needs at least 12 seats to be recognized.
The NDP was reduced to just seven seats in last month's election.
More coming.

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National Post
4 hours ago
- National Post
Liberals downplay narrowly lost vote demanding spring budget
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Global News
5 hours ago
- Global News
Opposition MPs back non-binding call for spring economic update
Government whip Mark Gerretsen insists nothing went wrong Monday evening when opposition parties successfully amended the throne speech to call on the government to table an economic update before Parliament breaks for the summer. The Liberals were defeated 166 to 164 after four Liberal MPs did not vote because of paired abstentions. Paired abstentions happen when parties agree to have a member sit out a vote because someone from another party is not able to attend. Gerretsen told reporters on his way into a cabinet meeting Tuesday morning that everything went according to plan. 'Every single person who was supposed to vote yesterday voted,' he said. The amendment, tabled by House of Commons Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer, added a passage to the throne speech calling for a spring economic update. Story continues below advertisement The amendment said that update should include the government's plan to 'unleash Canada's economic potential' and explain how it will respect provincial jurisdiction and Indigenous rights. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The amendment includes language inserted by the Bloc Québécois and the NDP, and all three opposition parties voted to support it. 2:11 King Charles outlines federal government's vision in throne speech Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said on Tuesday the vote that really matters is the confidence motion on adopting the throne speech, set for Wednesday. 'It was a non-binding advisory resolution of the House of Commons. I suspect you're going to see a lot more of them,' MacKinnon said. The minority Liberal government has 169 MPs, including House Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, who does not vote, except in the event of a tie. That leaves the Liberals four votes shy of a majority, meaning they have to work with other parties to pass legislation and survive confidence motions. Story continues below advertisement The NDP, which had a supply-and-confidence agreement with the previous Liberal government, has said it will not enter a formal arrangement to support Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. The party was reduced to seven MPs in the recent election but still can hold the balance of power. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said his party's 144 MPs will not 'reflexively oppose' the government and will support measures that improve the status quo. But the Conservatives also have been highly critical of the government's plan to delay introducing a budget — traditionally released in the spring — until this fall. — With files from Sarah Ritchie


CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
Opposition MPs add call for a spring economic update to throne speech
Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen, now the government whip, makes his way to a Liberal Party caucus meeting in West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA — Government whip Mark Gerretsen insists nothing went wrong with a throne speech sub-amendment vote that now calls on the government to table an economic update before Parliament breaks for the summer. The Liberals were defeated 166 to 164 Monday evening after four Liberal MPs did not vote because of paired abstentions. 'Paired abstentions' happen when parties agree to have a member sit out a vote because someone from another party is not able to attend. The sub-amendment, tabled by interim Opposition leader Andrew Scheer, adds a passage to the throne speech that calls for some kind of spring economic update. It also says that update should include the government's plan to 'unleash Canada's economic potential' and explain how it will respect provincial jurisdiction and Indigenous rights. Government House leader Steven MacKinnon says this is a non-binding motion and the vote that really matters is the confidence motion tomorrow on adopting the throne speech. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2025. David Baxter, The Canadian Press