Opposition parties scored a symbolic win over the Liberal government Monday night by passing an amendment to the throne speech that calls for a spring economic update. The motion passed 166 to 164, as four Liberal MPs did not participate in the vote due to paired abstentions—an arrangement where MPs from opposing parties agree to abstain when one member is unable to vote.
Despite the defeat, Government Whip Mark Gerretsen insisted that nothing went wrong. “Every single person who was supposed to vote yesterday voted,” he told reporters Tuesday morning ahead of a cabinet meeting.
The amendment was introduced by House of Commons Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer and backed by the Conservatives, the Bloc Québécois, and the NDP. It calls on the government to present an economic update before Parliament breaks for the summer, outlining a plan to “unleash Canada’s economic potential” while respecting provincial jurisdiction and Indigenous rights. The amendment incorporated language from both the Bloc and NDP.
Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon downplayed the loss, calling it a “non-binding advisory resolution” and stressing that the upcoming vote on adopting the full throne speech will be the confidence motion that truly counts. That vote is scheduled for Wednesday.
With 169 seats, including the Speaker who only votes in the event of a tie, the Liberals remain four seats short of a majority. They must rely on support from other parties to pass legislation and survive confidence motions.
The NDP, which supported the previous Liberal government through a supply-and-confidence agreement, has said it will not renew any formal deal under Prime Minister Mark Carney. Still, the party’s seven seats could prove decisive in close votes.
Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stated that his party’s 144 MPs will not oppose the government reflexively but will challenge any attempts to delay fiscal transparency. The Conservatives have criticized the government’s decision to postpone the 2025 federal budget, typically delivered in the spring, until the fall.