Conservative MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Frank Caputo rises during Question Period, Tuesday, February 7, 2023 in Ottawa. (Photo via Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

The Conservative Member of Parliament representing Kamloops says he wasn’t overly surprised to hear the NDP has pulled out of the Supply and Confidence agreement with the Liberal government.

“They’re really not polling well,” Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Frank Caputo told Radio NL in the aftermath of the decision by federal New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh on Wednesday.

“We’ve got two by-elections, and by-elections are often a barometer of how people are feeling, especially when they’re not happy with the government. One of them is with an NDP incumbent,” noted Caputo.  “I think that the politics of it is… things are not going well.”

There are two federal by-elections scheduled for September 16th.  One is in a Manitoba riding formerly held by the NDP.  The other is in Quebec.

As to whether there may be a snap election coming quickly, Caputo suggests that prospect seems less likely.

“The government will have to decide. Invariably there have to be confidence votes. In my estimation there is probably a confidence vote every month, every six weeks,” noted Caputo.  “That will be a time where Jagmeet Singh and the NDP can decide whether they’re going to say, yes we have confidence in the government.”

Should a federal vote come earlier than expected, Caputo says he and the rest of the Conservative caucus are ready to act quickly.

“Our message has been pretty clear. We have four points: To axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budgets, stop the crime. Those our four points. Obviously we would be expanding on those with respect to how we would do that,” said Caputo.

The next federal election is not scheduled until October, 2025.

However, a non-confidence vote against the Liberal government would prompt a federal election.