Liberal Government Survives Second Confidence Vote on Budget

Prime Minister Mark Carney holds up a copy of Budget 2025 as he and Minister of Finance and National Revenue François-Philippe Champagne make their way to the House of Commons for the tabling of the federal budget on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Nov. 4, 2025. The Canadian Press/Justin TangThe Liberal government survived a second budget confidence vote on Nov. 7, after a Bloc Québécois amendment calling on the House of Commons to reject the budget was voted down.The amendment to the budget failed 307 to 30, with the Bloc, NDP, and Green Party voting in favour of it, and the Liberals and Conservatives voting against it. The Bloc’s motion called for the House to “reject” the government’s budget statement because it would “hurt Quebec,” saying it failed to raise the Canadian health transfer escalator to 6 percent, excludes people aged 65 to 74 from an increase in Old Age Security, does not repay $814 million to Quebecers who were not compensated for the end of the consumer carbon tax, and does not propose “concrete and effective measures to combat climate change.” Typically, the first amendment proposed on a budget comes from the official Opposition, however, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre did not submit one following his speech in response to the budget on Nov. 5. This led to Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet quickly introducing an amendment to the budget instead.