MPs to vote on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget today

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Members of Parliament will today decide whether to vote in favour of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s budget or send the country back to the polls less than a year after the last federal election.

The consequential budget vote, scheduled for later today, serves as a confidence vote for the minority Liberals.

The Liberals need the support from another party – or at least a few MPs outside their party – to get the votes needed to pass the budget.

So far, opposition parties have spoken out against the budget, saying it doesn’t align with their priorities, and it isn’t yet clear where the Liberals will get the votes they need.

The Liberals presented their budget as a plan to spend less and invest more in the face of U.S. tariffs.

After taking Ottawa’s cost savings goals into account, the budget proposes nearly $90 billion in new spending over five years, much of it focused on capital creation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2025.

The Canadian Press