OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government has weathered a second confidence vote on its budget.
A Liberal amendment condemning the Tory budget for "doing so little with so much'' was shot down Monday by a vote of 174 to 109.
Bloc Quebecois MPs joined the Tories to defeat the amendment and assure the survival of Harper's government. New Democrats voted with the Liberals.
The Liberal amendment charged that last week's budget ignored the plight of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens, particularly aboriginals, and provided no broad-based tax relief for middle-income Canadians.
It also slammed the budget for failing to invest significantly in post-secondary and early childhood education and for failing to advance any significant new measures to combat climate change.
An equally critical NDP amendment was defeated last week.
With the amendments now out of the way, the main budget vote will take place Tuesday evening. It is expected to pass with the Bloc's support.
