OTTAWA — Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne vowed there would be no surprises in his first federal budget — but members of Parliament could still surprise Canadians with a holiday election.

In his speech to Parliament Tuesday afternoon, Champagne sought to draw a contrast with the Conservatives by saying the budget chooses generational investments over scaling back the supports on which Canadians rely.

Members of Parliament now face a choice: to either allow the budget to pass or to vote it down, bringing the minority government down with it.

The Liberals are three seats shy of a majority government, so they need either a handful of opposition votes or a sufficient number of abstentions to pass the budget when it comes up for vote later this month.

If the government fails thi

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