No snap federal election

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberal minority have survived a confidence vote by securing the backing needed to avoid plunging the country into a snap pandemic election.

The Bloc Québécois is planning to support the Conservative motion but NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has refused to give a clear indication of what his party will do. "I hope that every Canadian who saw how close we came to a general election in the middle of a pandemic calls their MP to express their disagreement".

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said her Liberal government does not want an election but that it is up to the opposition. The NDP MPs who voted with the government did so with mutinous looks on their faces.

In an unsuccessful effort to compromise, the Liberals proposed a separate special committee to evaluate the billions of dollars of federal government COVID-19 spending to support workers, businesses, and the healthcare system, but the committee would be led by a Liberal.

Ultimately, Canadians will go to the polls "if enough people in the House of Commons want to go to an election", Walsh said, adding that every party's caucus meetings will be discussing their options before making their decisions public.

Trudeau has denied any role in influencing a decision to award a multi-million contract to administer the student volunteering grant program to WE Charity even as he has acknowledged that he should have recused himself from cabinet discussions on the matter given his ties to the charity. If he did, he could portray the Liberal response as wanting and reclaim his party's fading identity.

Justin Trudeau's minority government survived its most serious confidence test yet Wednesday but opposition resentment over the Liberals' high-stakes brinkmanship may make it more hard to avoid defeat in future.

"Now is not the time for us to weaken this cross-partisan co-operation, when people still need our help to meet their most urgent needs", Paul said in a statement. Both the chair and a majority of seats on the committee would go to the opposition.

While Trudeau is relying on the NDP to back his version of the committee, leader Jagmeet Singh has described the situation as "a farce", "outrageous" and "absurd". "This was a game of chicken between the Liberals and the Conservatives, and it was very unbecoming of them..."

The proposal is in the form of an Opposition day motion, a day in the parliamentary calendar when an opposition party can put forward an issue and call it for a vote.

Bot the Bloc Quebecois and Conservatives voted in favour of the motion, which therefore led to a vote of non-confidence, while the New Democrats, Liberals, Greens and Independents voted down the motion, therefore voting confidence in the minority Liberals.

Conservative member of Parliament Pierre Poilievre speaks during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on October 19, 2020. They need confidence in the future.

If the NDP side with the Liberals, the committee will not be created and election will be avoided. He did said he wants the spending investigation moved to the House of Commons ethics committee.

What happens next remains to be seen!