The minority Liberal government narrowly survived a second confidence vote on its budget Friday afternoon, capping off one of the most tumultuous weeks in Parliament marked by defections and internal Conservative upheaval.
In a 307 to 30 vote, the House of Commons rejected a Bloc Québécois motion to defeat the budget, ensuring the Liberals live to govern another day. It followed a similar victory on Thursday, when the Bloc and NDP joined forces to vote down a Conservative motion aimed at toppling the government.
The political drama unfolded against a backdrop of deepening rifts within the Conservative caucus. Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont stunned Parliament earlier in the week when he crossed the floor to join Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government on the very day the budget was tabled. Then, late Thursday, Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux announced his resignation after days of speculation that he too might defect to the Liberals.
The twin defections have thrown the Conservatives into disarray, eroding party discipline and intensifying questions about Pierre Poilievre’s leadership as his party struggles to present a united front against the government’s fiscal plan.
For Carney’s Liberals, the back-to-back confidence wins strengthen their grip on power—at least temporarily—while giving them breathing room to push forward with key economic promises, including reducing the federal public service by 10 percent and balancing the budget over the next fiscal cycle.
But with razor-thin margins and a fractured opposition, Ottawa remains on edge. The latest vote may have spared the government for now, yet the political uncertainty suggests more battles are looming in the weeks ahead.