OTTAWA — The minority Liberal government narrowly avoided a potential snap election on Tuesday after surviving another confidence vote. This followed a tense vote on Monday that had raised concerns about the government's stability.

On Tuesday, the House of Commons voted on a ways and means motion to introduce the Budget Implementation Act I, which aims to enact specific measures from the budget announced on November 4. The 600-page bill will undergo debate in the House and the finance committee in the coming days and weeks.

A spokesperson for Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne stated that the bill includes both tax-related and non-tax-related measures aligned with the government's priorities. "Amongst a range of measures, this includes investing in Build Canada Homes, delivering on our promised Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credits and Productivity Super-Deductions, combatting financial fraud, and making modernizations to our financial and banking sectors," said John Fragos in a written statement.

Due to its budgetary nature, the ways and means motion was automatically considered a confidence vote. If it had been defeated, the government would have had to resign or dissolve Parliament, leading to a snap election. Ultimately, Members of Parliament agreed to carry the motion "on division," indicating that while the decision was not unanimous, no formal vote was taken to determine its outcome.

This marked the fourth confidence vote in less than two weeks, alleviating immediate concerns about a holiday season election. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, whose party voted against the main motion on Monday, expressed hope that the budget bill could be amended to gain support from his MPs. He also noted his relief at being able to spend time with family during the holidays instead of campaigning. However, he criticized the Liberal government's management of its minority status as "not sustainable."

On Monday evening, the opposition parties, including the Bloc, most Conservatives, and New Democrats, voted against the main motion. The final tally was 170-168, with the motion passing due to last-minute support from Green Party Leader Elizabeth May after Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged to uphold the Paris Accord. Four MPs abstained from voting, including two from the Conservative Party and two from the NDP.

New Democrats Lori Idlout and Gord Johns abstained, citing the importance of certain budget measures for their communities. Conservative MPs Matt Jeneroux and Shannon Stubbs did not vote; Jeneroux has not participated in House activities since announcing his resignation next spring, while Stubbs was on medical leave following surgery.

After the vote, Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer and MP Scott Reid returned to the House to inform the Speaker of an issue with the voting application, expressing a desire to vote "no."

On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Carney expressed satisfaction with the vote's outcome. "I salute the 170 members of the House who supported it. I’m glad it came through, and we’re going to continue to work on implementation," he said.

In recent weeks, opposition parties, particularly the Bloc and the NDP, have criticized the government for not incorporating their suggestions into the budget. Champagne defended the government's approach, stating it was "a matter of perspective" and emphasized his constructive engagement with various parties leading up to the budget.

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon refrained from commenting on whether the current strategy of releasing a budget and seeking support is sustainable. "We’re just going to keep working away and putting things in front of Canadians that we believe are in the best long-term interests of the country and we’ll hope to attract support for those things in Parliament," he said. "I think the minority Parliament’s working. We just passed a budget."