The lower house of Canada's parliament voted narrowly on Thursday to support the first budget proposed by Prime Minister Mark Carney's government, averting the threat of a new election in less than a year, Reuters reported.
Lawmakers voted 170 to 168 to pass a motion that allows the House of Commons to begin consideration of the budget. Although more votes are due in the coming months, last night's result showed that the budget is likely to be approved.
Carney's Liberals do not have an absolute majority in the 343-seat House of Commons and need the support or a "abstention" vote of several opposition representatives.
Carney's budget - the economic framework for the next fiscal year - envisages a doubling of the budget deficit to deal with US tariffs and finance defense and housing programs.
Although it proposes reducing the number of federal government employees, the budget does not contain as many savings measures as some opponents of the government had feared.
Recent polls show that if the election were held now, the Liberals would retain power.
The center-right opposition Conservative Party has been struggling with internal divisions since its election loss to the Liberals in April, and its leader Pierre Poiliever will be subject to a formal performance evaluation in January.
The German Navy will buy the “CMS 330“ combat management system of “Lockheed Martin Canada“ for more than 1 billion Canadian dollars, Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu announced today, quoted by Reuters.
“The selection of “Lockheed Martin Canada“s “CMS 330“ by the German Navy is a testament to our world-class defense technologies and the value of government-to-government partnerships,“ Sidhu said in a statement.