NDP holds key as budget votes loom

November 6, 2025

RED FM News Desk

The House of Commons is preparing to vote on the federal budget.
Before the final vote, MPs will first decide on two opposition amendments that call for the budget to be rejected:

• Bloc Québécois amendment – urges MPs to vote down the budget.
• Conservative amendment – also calls for the budget to be rejected.

Because either amendment would effectively defeat the budget, both are considered confidence votes. Losing one could bring down the government.

The New Democratic Party (NDP), led on an interim basis by Don Davies, holds seven seats in Parliament. In a minority situation, those votes could determine whether the Liberal government survives or falls.

Davies has confirmed that the NDP will vote against the Conservative amendment, helping the Liberals survive that particular test. However, the party has not yet decided how it will vote on the Bloc Québécois amendment or on the final budget itself.

In short, the federal budget faces three confidence votes — two on amendments and one on the main budget. Defeat on any of them could topple the government.

The NDP’s seven votes are crucial to the Liberals’ survival, and while the party is backing the government on the Conservative amendment, its stance on the other votes remains uncertain.