The Conservative sub-amendment on the budget faced opposition from the Liberals, Bloc Québécois, and NDP on Thursday, avoiding a potential trigger for a new election. This sub-amendment, linked to a Bloc Québécois proposal urging the rejection of the budget, is set for a vote on Friday. Both votes are deemed matters of confidence by the government, with a loss potentially leading to a federal election.
Despite some concerns, the likelihood of an immediate election following Thursday’s vote was low, as all seven NDP MPs pledged to oppose the Conservative sub-amendment. The upcoming vote on the budget itself is anticipated later this month, following a one-week recess for Remembrance Day next week.
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet initiated the amendment to reject the budget, citing insufficient alignment with his party’s priorities. A subsequent sub-amendment aimed to denounce the budget for not meeting Conservative expectations, but the Bloc rejected this suggestion. The budget, introduced by the Liberal government earlier this week, focuses on substantial new spending to support the economy amid tariff challenges, alongside proposed cuts in the public sector for cost-saving purposes.
The procedural sequence surrounding the budget amendments saw an unconventional move by Blanchet following a missed opportunity by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. While Poilievre’s oversight in amending the budget may seem inconsequential to the budget’s overall fate, it stirred a procedural deviation in the House of Commons.