The Conservative party’s sub-amendment on the budget was voted down by the Liberals, Bloc Québécois, and NDP on Thursday evening, which would have potentially led to a new election if passed. The sub-amendment was related to a Bloc Québécois amendment urging the House to reject the budget, with the vote on the Bloc amendment scheduled for Friday.
According to a spokesperson for Liberal House leader Steven MacKinnon, both votes were considered matters of confidence by the government. Losing a confidence vote usually results in a federal election being triggered.
There was minimal risk of triggering a second election within a short span as interim NDP Leader Don Davies announced that all seven New Democrat MPs would oppose the Conservative sub-amendment. While Thursday’s vote does not guarantee Bloc or NDP support for the budget itself, the budget vote is anticipated later this month after a one-week recess for Remembrance Day.
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet proposed the initial amendment, arguing that the budget failed to meet their party’s demands. The Conservative sub-amendment aimed to condemn the budget for not aligning with Conservative expectations, but the Bloc rejected this proposal.
The Liberal government introduced the budget on Tuesday, outlining substantial new spending to support an economy impacted by U.S. tariffs and announcing cuts to the public service to generate significant savings. Blanchet’s opportunity to propose the main budget amendment arose after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre missed his chance due to a procedural oversight. Despite this procedural hiccup, it is unlikely to significantly impact the fate of the budget or the government.
