McGuinty has ‘every confidence’ fall budget will pass through minority Parliament

National Defence Minister David McGuinty gestures as he speaks with reporters in Gyeongju, South Korea, Thursday Oct. 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA — Defence Minister David McGuinty says he has “every confidence” the Liberal government will be able to pass its fall budget through the current minority Parliament, despite his colleague’s concerns about securing enough votes.

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon recently said he’s worried the budget might not win enough votes to pass through the House of Commons and accused Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of pushing for a Christmas election.

But McGuinty told reporters in South Korea this morning he’s confident the governing party will be able to “earn the respect and the support” of the House of Commons through negotiations, and by reflecting Canadians’ priorities in their coming spending plan.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first federal budget is set to be unveiled on Nov. 4.

But the Liberals are just a handful of votes shy of being able to pass their fiscal plan through the House on their own.

To pass the budget, they’ll need to secure some support from Conservative, Bloc or NDP MPs — or some opposition party members will have to abstain from voting on it.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press