Canada's Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet speaks to journalists during a press conference in the House of Commons foyer on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada October 29, 2024. REUTERS/Blair Gable
OTTAWA (Reuters) - The leader of a Canadian opposition party said on Tuesday he was working to topple Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but to do so he needs the help of other legislators who have shown little enthusiasm for the idea.
The comments by Bloc Quebecois chief Yves-Francois Blanchet underline the challenges facing Trudeau's minority Liberal government, which is suffering from voter fatigue after nine years and needs the support of other parliamentarians to stay in power.
In return for backing Trudeau, the Bloc wanted more money for seniors and a promise to protect a system of tariffs and quotas that protect dairy farmers, many of whom live in Quebec. Blanchet said Trudeau had not acted in time.
"We are negotiating with opposition parties in order to have the government fall," he told reporters.
To succeed, Blanchet must win over the smaller left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP), which has twice in the last five weeks backed Trudeau in confidence votes. The Bloc, which is the second largest of the four opposition parties, seeks independence for the province of Quebec.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is due to speak to reporters later on Tuesday.
Polls show both the NDP and Liberals would perform poorly in an election that must be held by the end of October 2025. Surveys of public opinion regularly show the official opposition Conservatives are on track for a big win.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Chris Reese)
