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Ottawa

The Liberal government narrowly survived a confidence vote on a motion to approve the 2025 budget, thanks to a handful of abstentions and a last-minute climate pledge from the Prime Minister that won over Green Party MP Elizabeth May.

Members of Parliament approved the budget motion in a 170 to 168 vote Monday evening, ending days of uncertainty as to whether the opposition parties would defeat the minority Liberal government and trigger a second federal election in a year.

The confidence vote was likely the government’s biggest remaining Parliamentary test of the year. The House is scheduled to rise for the holidays on Dec. 12.

There will be at least one other key vote before then to approve day-to-day spending for federal departments, which is typically considered a confidence matter.

The government has permanently shifted the presentation of the budget from spring until fall, meaning there won’t be another budget showdown for a year, but there are regular opportunities for the opposition to aim to defeat the government should they choose.

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