Liberal minority government faces confidence vote following budget

On Monday, we’ll find out if the minority Liberal government will survive a big vote over the budget.

A vote this evening will determine whether the fiscal plan moves forward or if we’re headed for another federal election.

Today’s vote of confidence is on the budget itself and will dictate whether the current government remains in power.

Through the budget, the liberals are pledging $280 billion in investment over the next five years on things such as major projects and national defence.

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The party says its initiatives are meant to build and strengthen the country’s economy amid challenges posed by tariffs from the United States.

The liberals say it will cut the red tape on major nation-building projects and prioritize Canadian suppliers in federal contracts through the new buy Canadian policy.

Industry Minister Melanie Joly outlined these plans during her visit to Hamilton last week.

“Think about the defence sector, the construction sector or again, the different sectors that have strategic procurement agreements with the government,” Joly says.

“We will buy Canadian. This is a huge shift. We haven’t done this since the free trade agreement. It’s been a long, long time, 40 years.”

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Weighing heavily on those who oppose the budget is its staggering deficit of 78-billion dollars — almost double the 42-billion dollar deficit that was projected just last year.

If the budget does not pass the vote of confidence today, Canadians will head back to the polls, less than a year since the last federal election.

The Liberals did gain an additional seat in recent weeks with ex-Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont crossing the floor.

But, with the Bloc and the Conservatives expected to vote against the fiscal plan, the liberals will still need two more votes to reach a majority.

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