OTTAWA -- Senators voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to keep MPs in suspense after the House rejected their changes to the government's budget bill.

Two senators voted in favour of debating MPs' decision to decline the Senate's amended budget bill, with 79 senators opposed and five abstaining. The Senate change rejected by the House would have cancelled an increase in alcohol excise taxes pegged to the rate of inflation. Economist Trevor Tombe estimates the cost of the increase at $1 to $2 a year per Canadian family.

MPs rejected the Senate's change in the same motion that will adjourn the House for the summer as soon as Wednesday's proceedings wrap up.

But senators objected to a message contained in the motion, to which MPs gave unanimous consent, that the House rejected the changed bill "because these amendments infringe upon rights and privileges of the House."

"I think what the prime minister meant ... to relay to everybody was, look, the Senate cannot change budget bills, but it can suggest to us necessary amendments," Sen. George Baker said on CTV's Power Play.

"This House of Commons is not going to close tonight. This'll be put off until tomorrow because there'll be so many speeches in the Senate tonight saying, look, we're here, we're getting paid lots of money to do a job, for goodness sake -- to give sober second thought to things. And the House of Commons says no, you have no right to do that."

The debate on the House rejection of the Senate amendment is set for Thursday.

The process moved quickly throughout Wednesday, with senators beginning third reading debate around noon. They quickly sent the bill to the House, where MPs considered it later in the afternoon, ultimately sending it back to the Senate.

MPs were hoping to flee the capital and unanimously agreed to a motion to adjourn until Sept. 18 -- prior to hearing the Senate's response to the restored budget bill. An extended dispute over the bill, C-44, could force them to return during the summer to deal with it.

Parliament was in a similar dilemma a year ago over the assisted dying bill. The Senate amended it and returned it to the House, which rejected the amendments and sent it back to senators. The Senate deferred to the House and voted to pass the version the MPs wanted.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shot down the idea the Senate should make changes to the budget bill.

Asked about a Senate motion to split off measures to create an infrastructure bank -- which was ultimately defeated -- Trudeau said he respects the Senate's role in deliberating legislation and making recommendations and improvements.

"It's an enhancement to our democratic institutions and to the governance of our country, but I'm also very aware, as we all are, of the important role that the House of Commons plays particularly on budgetary matters," Trudeau said Friday.

"We're looking for swift passage of the federal budget that passed through the House of Commons with all the legitimacy that the elected House of Commons has."

Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer on Wednesday grouped together the Senate Liberals, who sat in the Liberal caucus until Trudeau kicked them out, and the independent senators appointed since Trudeau took office.

"Whatever is decided in the Senate is being decided by Liberal senators. The Liberals have a majority in the Senate, so it's up to the prime minister to talk to his Liberal friends in the Senate and see what they'll do," Scheer said following the weekly caucus meeting.

Currently, the Conservatives have the biggest voting bloc, with 38 senators. The independent senators group has 35 members, while there are 18 Senate Liberals and seven unaffiliated senators. Another seven seats are vacant.