The federal Liberal government has avoided defeat with help from the NDP this evening as the two joined forces to pass a multibillion-dollar spending bill in the House of Commons.
The Liberals assured the New Democrats' support — and their own survival — on Tuesday by extending the $2,000-a-month Canada Emergency Response Benefit another eight weeks.
In return, the NDP has supported the government in passing some $87 billion in planned government spending, most of which is aimed at pandemic-related support for Canadians and businesses.
Because the Liberals hold only a minority of seats in the House of Commons, they needed the support of at least one party to pass the spending bill or risk plunging the country into an election.
While the supplementary estimates have been approved — on division, which means with no recorded vote — there is still no resolution to an emergency aid bill that stalled last week as the government butted heads with opposition parties.
That bill included measures to deliver a one-time, tax-free benefit of up to $600 to Canadians with disabilities, an expansion to the wage subsidy program and fines or jail time for Canadians who deliberately defraud the CERB program.