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The House of Commons is set for a final vote on the main budget motion that will determine whether fiscal policy can go ahead and whether the Liberal Party can continue to govern.
The Liberal government tabled the budget earlier this month. It calls for billions of dollars in new spending to help shore up an economy hit hard by U.S. tariffs, along with public service cuts that the government says would generate billions of dollars in savings.
The motion simply asks the House to “generally approve the government’s budget policy.” But since it is considered a vote of confidence, the government would fall if the motion fails and Canadians would likely head to another election.
The Liberals gained an additional seat in the House and former Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont joined the ruling party. But the Liberals are still a few votes away from a majority, meaning the government will need the cooperation of at least one other party to pass Monday’s budget motion.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Friday that he hopes opposition MPs will do “soul searching” before the vote.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Friday that opposition MPs must do “soul searching” before Monday’s budget vote. Champagne and this minority Liberal government’s first annual budget will need to appeal to MPs on the other side of the aisle to pass the critical vote.
“This is not a time for political games. This is not a time for posturing. This is a time to fight for Canada,” Champagne said during a news conference.
“Fight together, meet the moment, rise above politics, serve the nation, serve your constituents.”
The Liberals have already survived two confidence votes on the budget. But it is not 100 percent clear how Monday’s vote will play out, as most opposition parties have firmly affirmed their positions on the budget.
On Budget Day, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre signaled his opposition to the Liberals’ fiscal policy, saying last week that his party intends to “unanimously oppose” the motion.
Similarly, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet said he “hardly saw” how his party could support the budget on the day it was presented. A spokesman for the bloc told CBC News last week that nothing has changed and that all MPs in the bloc intend to vote against the motion.
Green leader Elizabeth May has also signaled she would not support the budget unless serious changes were made to climate policy.
May said she has been in talks with the government about making these changes, but said rosemary barton live in on Sunday that she was still “undecided.”
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told CBC News chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton on Sunday that she is still undecided about Monday’s budget vote, but is still unlikely to vote with the government due to the budget’s insufficient climate measures.
May is open to supporting the government in the vote of confidence “because I know how much Canadians don’t want another election right away. So I’m in a dilemma, obviously… because right now I’m a no,” she said on Sunday.
All eyes on the NDP
Unless one of the other parties changes its stance at the last minute, the New Democrats will hold the balance.
NDP interim leader Don Davies said earlier this month that his party has “serious concerns” and “questions” about the budget, but said he would weigh his options.
If the NDP decides it does not want to support the budget, it could opt to have some or all of its MPs abstain from Monday’s vote.
The budget includes a number of items targeted at a handful of NDP constituencies, including Davies’s in Vancouver Kingsway, that could be enough to sway at least some New Democrats.
As of Monday morning, the party had not yet declared how they will cast their votes.
