Budget Bill Clears House of Commons, Liberals Survive Confidence Vote

The Liberal government’s budget bill has passed a confidence vote in the House of Commons, after the Liberals accepted a Conservative amendment earlier this week.

Bill C-15, the Budget Implementation Act, was passed “on division” in the House of Commons on Feb. 26, meaning there was no recorded vote in Parliament but parties agreed to disagree on the bill and allow it to pass.

Votes on budgets are usually considered matters of confidence, and if the House of Commons fails to support the government, it may result in the dissolution of Parliament and the calling of a snap election.

The Conservatives voted against Budget 2025 in first reading in November, when the bill narrowly passed 170–168 in the House of Commons, with the Liberals and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May voting in favour and the Tories, Bloc Québécois, and NDP voting against it.

After first reading, the bill proceeded for second reading and consideration in committee, before being tabled for third reading in the House on Feb. 26.

The budget bill clearing the House of Commons this week comes after the Liberals accepted a Conservative amendment to put guardrails around proposed new cabinet powers during a clause-by-clause review of the bill at a finance committee meeting on Feb. 23.

The bill includes a clause that would allow ministers to exempt any individual or company from federal laws aside from the Criminal Code. The bill said a minister could use these powers “only if the minister is of the opinion” that the exemption is in the public interest; if it would enable the testing of a product, service, procedure, or regulatory measure; and if its benefits would outweigh the risks.

The Liberals said the provision intended to create “regulatory sandboxes” to drive innovation, while the Conservatives said it could potentially conceal conflicts of interest and lead to government insiders benefiting financially.

The amendments approved by Liberal members of the finance committee included a requirement for ministers to consult with Canadians before ordering any legal exemptions, and to report back to Parliament.

The amendments would also require the approval of both a cabinet minister and the president of the Treasury Board before an individual or corporation is exempted from a law. The amendments state that certain laws cannot be overridden, including the Conflict of Interest Act and the Access to Information Act.

MPs also agreed earlier this month to a motion seeking to fast-track the bill through the committee and report stages of debate. The motion said the bill had to be considered at the finance committee by Feb. 23, and the committee had to report back to the House of Commons by Feb. 25.

Now that the bill has cleared the House of Commons, the Senate must approve the bill before it receives royal assent and becomes law. It passed first reading in the Senate on Feb. 26.

The budget bill was one of several matters the Conservatives have pledged to cooperate with the government on since returning to Parliament after the winter break.

Tories tabled a motion on Feb. 2 to help expedite the review process for Bill C-19, which would implement an increase to GST credit payments.

Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer told CTV News on Feb. 10 that his party has been supportive of some Liberal bills since the start of the new Parliament, including Bill C-5 on major projects and Bill C-12 on border security.

Scheer explained his party’s willingness to work with the Liberals to reporters on Feb. 10, saying Canadians don’t want a “half a billion dollar election” and instead want to see “real solutions that improve the quality of their life.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney dismissed speculation that the government was preparing for an early election, saying “we’re focused on results for Canadians.”

Noé Chartier and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.