Brian Platt
(Bloomberg) — Prime Minister Mark Carney narrowly won a key budget vote in Canada’s parliament, ensuring the government’s survival.
A majority of elected MPs supported the government’s proposed financial plan, backed by the Green Party leader and some members of other opposition parties absenting themselves from the vote. The statistical result was 170 to 168.
The vote allows the government to move forward with a budget that promises tens of billions of dollars in extra spending on trade infrastructure, defense and housing, while pledging to shrink the public sector.
Carney’s Liberals came close to winning a majority in the 343-seat House of Commons in April’s election, meaning the government will need help from some opposition MPs to pass legislation. Certain votes – including budget votes – are seen as confidence measures and, if failed, often trigger government resignations and elections.
Entering Monday, the administration was still seeking two dissenting votes. Carney subsequently won the support of Elizabeth May, the only Green MP in Parliament, who has led the party for much of the past two decades.
May told reporters she decided to support the budget after Carney promised her he was committed to meeting the Paris Agreement’s carbon emissions targets. “I will vote yes — for the sake of this country, for the sake of the planet, and for my hope for the future,” she said.
Ahead of the vote, the Liberals have been trying to attract opposition MPs to change their positions, known as “cross-party” in Canada’s parliamentary system. Chris d’Entremont was elected as the Conservative MP for Nova Scotia and joined the Liberal Party in early November. A second Conservative MP, Matt Jeneroux, discussed the cross-border issue but ultimately chose to announce his resignation from parliament.
In the end, four opposition MPs did not vote. The Speaker of the House only votes in the event of a tie.
“The consequence of a failed budget would not be to improve the budget and help Canadians,” interim NDP Leader Don Davis said in a statement. “It would be to plunge the country into an election just months after the last election, while we still face an existential threat from the Trump administration.”
—With help from Thomas Hill.
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Last modified: November 17, 2025
