Liberals, Opposition Parties Trade Accusations of Wanting a ‘Christmas Election’

Days before the Liberal government introduces its budget, parties are accusing each other of wanting to trigger an early election as key disagreements remain on fiscal policy.

“It’s becoming pretty clear that the government is going to use their costly budget as an excuse for costly elections,” Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer said after question period in the House of Commons on Oct. 29.

During the session, Liberals, Conservatives, and Bloc Québécois MPs all took turns mentioning the prospect of a Christmas election if no agreement is reached on the Nov. 4 budget.

The Tories and the Bloc have made their demands known for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget, and the government has not shown any sign of willingness to meet them so far.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the deficit should not exceed $42 billion, which is the last official deficit projection for fiscal 2025–26. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has projected a deficit of $68.5 billion.

Poilievre said during question period that what Canadians need is an “affordable budget for an affordable life,” linking increased deficit spending to inflation.

Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon replied that there would be an “affordable budget for an affordable life” presented on Nov. 4. “We certainly hope the Opposition Leader will order his troops to vote for it, instead of ordering the very nervous ones to vote against it and cause a very expensive Christmas election here in Canada,” MacKinnon added.

MacKinnon, who is responsible for negotiating with other parties, said on Oct. 26 the minority Liberals do not have the necessary votes to pass their budget. Liberals need the support from three MPs of other parties in the vote of confidence, failing which Parliament could be dissolved and an election triggered.

Poilievre said the Liberals want to trigger an election to “distract” from their “broken” promises.

MacKinnon shot back that Canadians chose the Liberals in April for “stability, for calm, not slogans.”

Bloc Québécois MP Christine Normandin asked MacKinnon whether he’s ready to negotiate to pass the budget or whether he’s trying to “trigger a Christmas election.”

The Bloc has issued a list of six demands that it says cannot be ignored if the Liberals want the Quebec party’s support on the budget. Those include increased health and infrastructure transfers to provinces with no strings attached, and increased Old Age Security payments.

MacKinnon countered by asking what there is to negotiate since the Bloc has issued non-negotiable demands.

“The only question is, who from the Bloc or the Conservative Party wants to trigger a Christmas election most?” he said.

If the Bloc and the Conservative Party vote against the budget, the Liberals would need to get the support from the NDP’s seven MPs.

Interim NDP Leader Don Davies has previously said his party will not be able to support a budget focused on austerity measures at a time that requires greater support for workers and businesses.

The Carney government has stayed steady on its messaging of “spend less and invest more,” which aims to reduce spending on government operations while stimulating the economy through major expenditures in fields like infrastructure.