Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) kept their word to disrupt House of Commons proceedings by initiating an all-night voting session after the Cabinet refused to eliminate parts of its carbon tax agenda. House Leader Andrew Scheer stated during a press conference on December 8 that they had succeeded in obstructing a day of government business and reducing the time Justin Trudeau would have to implement the carbon tax. He argued that the carbon tax was increasing the cost of groceries for farmers and truck drivers, and pledged to continue stalling House proceedings until the prime minister granted carbon pricing relief to farmers and exempted all First Nations from the tax.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre declared on December 6 that he would present thousands of amendments in the House of Commons to disrupt Prime Minister Trudeau’s Christmas, in response to the Senate amending a carbon tax exemption bill that was originally approved by opposition parties in March. The move came after the Senate amended Bill C-234 to remove the carbon tax from propane, natural gas, and grain drying, resulting in uncertainty about its future. Poilievre accused the Liberals of manipulating and intimidating the bill in the Senate, while the Liberals maintained that the Senate was independent and had only appointed independent senators.
Government House Leader Karina Gould proposed that the House sit until midnight and then break until 7 a.m. the next day, but the Tories rejected the proposal. Throughout the all-night voting session, Liberal and NDP MPs criticized the Conservatives for voting against supports for Canadians, while Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland called it “reckless austerity in action.” The Liberal and NDP MPs continued to challenge the Conservatives as the voting session extended into the day, prompting 135 votes in the House of Commons related to government estimates.
During the evening, Poilievre was absent from the Chamber, leading to Liberal MPs chanting “Where’s Pierre?” though he returned and voted until 7 a.m. while virtually attending other events. Tory MPs responded with the chant “Where is Trudeau?” since the prime minister had also been absent early in the evening but arrived later in the night. At around 8:40 a.m., House Speaker Greg Fergus informed MPs that approximately half of the 135 votes had been resolved.