US EditionLiberals clear high-stakes confidence vote to pass federal budget, avoid holiday election
The budget passed by 170 to 168 with Green Party support and abstentions, avoiding a federal election and enabling $90 billion in new spending over five years.
- On Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney's minority Liberal government survived a crucial confidence vote in the House of Commons, passing the budget 170 to 168 and avoiding a holiday election.
- After falling short of a majority in April, Carney's Liberals required either one opposition vote or two abstentions to pass the budget tabled on Nov. 4, 2025 in Parliament's 343 seats.
- A last-minute pledge from Carney secured Green Party Leader Elizabeth May's support after he committed to Paris Agreement targets, while four opposition MPs abstained and Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont added a vote.
- The passage allows the government to proceed with implementing the budget that pledges tens of billions for trade infrastructure, defence and housing, while Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne will introduce implementation bills this week and the government faces another confidence test later this year.
- Beyond the immediate vote, the budget projects a C$78 b deficit for 2025-26 and foresees C$167.3 billion in extra deficits over five years, with plans to attract C$1 trillion in private investment.
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68 Articles
Canadian PM Mark Carney clears budget vote, averting snap elections
A handful of opposition abstentions allowed Carney and minority Liberals to advance a deficit-boosting budget aimed at countering US tariffs.Published On 18 Nov 202518 Nov 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2SharePrime Minister Mark Carney’s minority government narrowly survived a confidence vote on Monday as Canadian lawmakers endorsed a motion to begin debating his first federal budget – a result that avoids the prospect of a second e…
The vote total was 170 to 168 - Carney's budget projects an additional $167.3 billion in total deficits over five years
NDP Says It Got No Concessions From Liberals After 2 MPs Abstained, Allowing Budget’s Passage
Interim NDP Leader Don Davies says his party received no offers from the Liberals in exchange for two of its MPs abstaining from voting on the federal budget, allowing it to pass with a narrow margin to avoid an election. “We pushed the Liberals to give us some concrete results, but nothing happened. So we decided to vote ‘no,’ but in order to avoid an election, we did what we had to do,” Davies told reporters on Nov. 17 following the vote. The …
They were 170 MPs to vote in favour and 168 against the federal budget presented by Mark Carney's government, thus avoiding the fall and early elections while the country is under US customs duties.
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