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The Liberals, Bloc Québécois and NDP voted down a Conservative sub-amendment on the budget Thursday evening that, if passed, would have forced a new election.
The Conservative sub-amendment was to a Bloc Québécois amendment that calls on the House to reject the budget. A vote on the Bloc amendment will take place on Friday.
A spokesperson for Liberal House leader Steven MacKinnon told CBC News that the government considers both votes matters of confidence.
If the government loses a confidence vote, that typically triggers a federal election.
There was limited risk that Thursday’s vote would trigger a second election in just over six months — interim NDP Leader Don Davies said Thursday afternoon that all seven New Democrat MPs would vote against the Conservative sub-amendment.
Thursday’s vote doesn’t necessarily mean every Bloc or NDP MP would support the budget itself. That vote is expected later this month. MPs have a one-week recess next week for Remembrance Day and return the following week.
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet moved the initial amendment Wednesday saying the House should reject the budget because it didn’t meet enough of his party’s demands.
The sub-amendment proposed to remove the Bloc’s wording and instead suggested the House should condemn the budget because it didn’t match Conservative expectations.
The Bloc voted against the Conservatives wording as a result.
WATCH | Your budget questions answered:
Live Q&A: Answering your questions about the federal budget
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The Liberal government tabled the budget on Tuesday. It calls for billions of dollars in new spending to help prop up an economy hit hard by U.S. tariffs, along with cuts to the public service that the government says would lead to billions of dollars in savings.
Blanchet had a highly unusual opportunity on Wednesday to propose the main amendment to the budget — after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre missed his chance.
Traditionally, the Official Opposition leader amends the budget after their speech to the House of Commons. The third party then has a chance to add a sub-amendment.
But Poilievre finished his speech without moving an amendment and Blanchet jumped at the chance to introduce his own.
Poilievre’s procedural mix-up means little to the overall fate of the budget, or the government.
