Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration successfully passed its second confidence vote within two days as Members of Parliament rejected a Bloc amendment urging the House to dismiss the Liberals’ budget. The Liberals and Conservatives joined forces to oppose the amendment, which argued against accepting the budget due to its failure to meet the Bloc Québécois’ demands, while the NDP sided with the Bloc.
A similar scenario unfolded on Thursday evening when a vote was held to reject the budget for not meeting the Conservatives’ expectations. In that instance, the Liberals, Bloc, and NDP all voted against the sub-amendment proposed by the Conservatives.
These votes are typically procedural and often occur without significant attention, as it is customary for opposition parties to introduce amendments rejecting the government’s financial plan after each budget presentation. However, recent signals from the Liberals have indicated uncertainty in garnering adequate support for the budget, intensifying scrutiny on these amendment votes.
Budget votes hold significant weight as confidence votes, implying that a defeat for the government could potentially trigger another election. While uncommon, past instances have seen governments fall due to budget amendment votes, notably in 1979 when former Prime Minister Joe Clark’s administration collapsed after failing to secure budget approval.
Following a one-week recess for Remembrance Day, MPs are anticipated to vote on the budget’s approval upon their return the following Monday. Despite recent votes, opposition MPs’ stance on supporting the budget itself remains uncertain. The Conservatives have already declared their opposition, and the Bloc appears inclined to follow suit.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, who supported the Bloc’s amendment, emphasized the need for substantial budget changes to garner her party’s support. Meanwhile, the NDP is deliberating its position on the matter.
A procedural error emerged when the Liberal government presented the budget on Tuesday. The budget outlines significant new spending to mitigate the impact of U.S. tariffs on the economy, coupled with proposed cuts to the public service to generate substantial savings.
Typically, the Official Opposition leader presents the primary budget amendment post their House speech, followed by a sub-amendment from the third party. However, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre failed to move an amendment after his speech, leading Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet to introduce his own amendment.
The Conservatives advanced their sub-amendment on Thursday morning, with Poilievre’s procedural misstep having minimal impact on the budget’s overall fate or the government’s stability. Key demands from the Conservatives include scrapping the industrial carbon tax and ensuring the deficit stays under $42 billion, while the Bloc is advocating for increased federal health transfers to provinces and enhanced Old Age Security (OAS) payments for individuals aged 65 to 74.