Liberal government survives second confidence vote amid Conservative caucus turmoil

The minority Liberal government survived two make-or-break confidence votes this week, capping off an eventful few days on Parliament Hill that featured a budget, a floor-crossing and a resignation from the Conservative caucus.

Speaking to the Canadian Club Toronto on Friday afternoon, Prime Minister Mark Carney joked that there could be more opposition defections to come.

"Call your local MP if they're not a Liberal," he told the audience members. Many of them laughed along.

Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer accused the Liberals of "trying to cobble together a majority through undemocratic means with backroom deals and pressure tactics."

Scheer — who was Conservative leader when Leona Alleslev crossed the floor to join his caucus in 2018 — accused the government of trying to distract from its "terrible budget."

The government spending plan has survived two of the three confidence votes it will face in the House of Commons.

On Thursday evening, the NDP and Bloc Québécois voted against a Conservative motion calling on MPs to reject the budget.

On Friday afternoon, Liberal MPs cheered as the Conservatives joined them in defeating a Bloc motion that also called on the House to reject the budget.

The Liberals are two votes shy of the majority they would need to pass the budget on their own.

For weeks, rumours have been swirling in Ottawa suggesting that some members of Pierre Poilievre's Conservative caucus were considering a switch to the government side — and that Poilievre's team was applying pressure to dissuade them.

Hours after the budget was released on Tuesday, Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont announced he was joining the Liberal caucus.

The longtime Conservative said he was unhappy with Poilievre's leadership style. Some of his former caucus mates were furious: Jamil Jivani told reporters d'Entremont was "an idiot" and Aaron Gunn called him a "coward."

Late Thursday, Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux said he was quitting Parliament altogether following days of rumours that he was also planning to join the government.

Two senior Liberal government sources told The Canadian Press Carney sat down privately with Jeneroux in his office during question period earlier this week. The sources are not being named because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting.

Scheer suggested the meeting didn't happen but would not say whether Jeneroux himself denied meeting with the Liberals.

"The only rumours I've heard of intimidation and harassment are from Liberals badgering Conservatives in elevators and calling them at home," Scheer said Friday, adding this pressure campaign forced Jeneroux to speed up his plans to leave the job.

Jeneroux initially released a statement saying he was resigning and asking people to leave his family alone. He didn't say when he was leaving but said he hoped to have one final speech in the House of Commons, suggesting the departure was somewhat imminent.

In a second statement sent to media by Poilievre's office later on Thursday night, Jeneroux said "there was no coercion involved in my decision to resign" and called it a long-standing decision.

The statement went on to say Jeneroux spoke with Poilievre and his exact date of departure will "likely" be in the spring.

Scheer said it's all a distraction.

"I can guarantee you, guarantee you, OK, you stop a hundred people on any main street in this country, they are uninterested in palace intrigue," he said.

That palace intrigue could have a very real effect on whether Canadians are headed toward a second election this year.

The budget is set to go to a vote during the week of Nov. 17, and the Liberals still need to pull some opposition votes, or abstentions, to stay in power.

Jeneroux didn't cast a vote in either of the confidence votes this week and his statement does not make it clear whether he will remain in the Tory caucus until spring.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said the budget in its current form is "dead to me" — stomping on a copy of the document for dramatic effect — but also said the government could win her one vote of support if it adds clearer commitments to protect the environment to the fiscal plan.

MPs wasted no time clearing the halls of West Block on Friday afternoon, with many heading to catch flights to their home ridings as they prepare for a weeklong break from Parliament.

D'Entremont, who will face his constituents for the first time since crossing the floor, said most of his conversations back home have been positive so far.

"We'll continue to work to explain the decision and why it's going to be important for Acadie—Annapolis," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2025.