Liberal omnibus budget bill passes final hurdle in the House of Commons

cbc.ca · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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PoliticsThe House of Commons passed the government's budget bill on Thursday afternoon, after the Liberals accepted a number of Conservative amendments to the omnibus legislation at the finance committee earlier this week.Conservative amendments accepted by Liberals at committee before voteDarren Major · CBC News · Posted: Feb 26, 2026 4:52 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Finance and National Revenue Minister François-Philippe Champagne is seen earlier this month. The House of Commons passed the budget bill on Thursday. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)The House of Commons passed the government's budget bill on Thursday afternoon, after the Liberals accepted a number of Conservative amendments to the omnibus legislation at the finance committee earlier this week.Bill C-15, which enacts a swath of policies put forward by the Liberals' budget in November, passed "on division" — which essentially means MPs agree to disagree on the bill, but let it go through without a recorded vote.Green Party Leader Elizabeth May appeared to object to the bill passing without a standing vote, but only MPs from a party that has recognized status in the House can request one. Votes on budgets are considered matters of confidence, meaning the government would fall if the bill failed to pass.The bill will now head to the Senate before it becomes law. The upper chamber has been conducting a pre-study of the legislation since early December.WATCH | Liberals and Conservatives working on deals:Liberals, Conservatives working on deals that could avoid election: sourcesFebruary 9|Duration 1:42:44Sources tell CBC's Kate McKenna that the government and Opposition are working behind the scenes on potential deals that could end a parliamentary gridlock and avoid a second federal election in 12 months. Liberal MP and justice committee chair James Maloney tells Power & Politics that the cancellation of one of the committee's meetings is a sign that a 'solution' is coming on legislation that's been stuck there. Plus, Sebastien Lai, son of pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, tells Power & Politics China has imprisoned his father's body but hasn't 'imprisoned his spirit,' as Beijing hands down a 20-year sentence to the 78-year-old under China's internationally scrutinized national security law. The House finance committee had voted in favour of four Conservative amendments on Monday during a clause-by-clause review of the bill.One of the key sticking points for the Conservatives was a proposal that would allow the government to grant a temporary exemption for individuals or businesses from any federal law with the exception of the Criminal Code.Liberals accept Conservative proposals to limit 'immense' cabinet powers in budget billWhile other countries have such powers, the amendments put forward by the Conservatives included a mandatory 30-day public consultation prior to making those exemptions and requiring dual approval from both a cabinet minister and the president of the Treasury Board.The bill as amended will also require a full report to Parliament within 90 days explaining the rationale for the decision and assessing whether permanent legislation is warranted.The amendments also include explicit mentions of other laws that can't be part of the exemption, including the Conflict of Interest Act, Auditor General Act and other core accountability, safety and national interest laws.ABOUT THE AUTHORDarren Major is a senior writer for CBC's parliamentary bureau in Ottawa. He previously worked as a digital reporter for CBC Ottawa and a producer for CBC's Power & Politics. He holds a master's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in public affairs and policy management, both from Carleton University. He also holds a master's degree in arts from Queen's University. He can be reached at darren.major@cbc.ca.With files from Kate McKenna