Koutrakis, El-Khoury see March budget potentially triggering a nationwide vote
Laval-area Liberal MPs Annie Koutrakis (Vimy) and Fayçal El-Khoury (Laval-les-Îles) were in an upbeat mood late last week as they welcomed guests to a Christmas season gathering at El-Khoury’s riding office in Sainte-Dorothée.
While the two expressed their best wishes to constituents between nibbles of snacks and sips of liquid refreshments, they shared some of their thoughts on the events of the past year with The Laval News, as well as some of the political developments likely to materialize in 2025.
El-Khoury said in an interview that he is anticipating the possibility of a federal election being called shortly after the next budget is tabled next March.
Election predictions
“If not, it’s going to go until October,” he added, noting that the Liberal government has a mandate to govern up to the latter date.
Although critics of the Liberal government have raised red flags over the record amount of debt the Liberals have accumulated in the nearly 10 years since Justin Trudeau first became Prime Minister, El-Khoury noted that programs launched by the government – including pharmacare, dental care and access to low-cost child daycare services – were opposed by Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilièvre.
“Every single thing we do good for Canadians, Pierre Polièvre voted against,” said El-Khoury.
Doubts about Poilièvre
And while acknowledging that he’s become aware while speaking with constituents that they’re unhappy with the current Liberal leadership and style of government, he said many also expressed a dislike for Poilièvre, saying they would not vote for him.
El-Khoury didn’t rule out the possibility that a re-elected Liberal government could choose to institute austerity measures to deal with budget deficits. “I am not against the idea of cuts, but you have to cut in a logical way,” he said, noting that Poilièvre would likely make far more radical changes.
Koutrakis said she didn’t expect an election to be called before the next budget in the spring, while qualifying what could happen after that. “Should the budget not pass, then obviously we would go into an earlier election,” she said.
Koutrakis says Liberals can win
Beyond that, Koutrakis said she feels confident the Liberals ultimately will prevail whenever Canadians go to the polls.
“Personally, I think we’re going to win the next election,” she said, suggesting the Conservatives are overconfident. “If I was Mr. Poilièvre and his colleagues, I would not count my chicks before they hatch,” she added.
She defended the Liberal government and the Prime Minister, despite both being up against the ropes. “There’s a silent majority out there that almost feels intimidated a little bit or bullied, who are not coming out and saying they still have faith in the Prime Minister and the Liberal government,” she said.
Dismisses spillover from U.S.
Koutrakis said she doubted the type of government recently elected in the U.S. – heavy on rhetoric, platitudes and slogans – could also come to power in Canada. “Canadians are not Americans,” she said.
While noting that the number of women actively involved in politics has diminished as the political climate has grown more intense and uglier, Koutrakis said that she and employees at her riding office had to deal with threats posted on social media.
She said it reached a climax in the summer of 2022 when her team was contacted by government security officials who advised them not to attend Hellenic summer festival events in Montreal’s Parc Extension district unless accompanied by police protection.
