It should come as no surprise to anyone watching Ottawa that the NDP and Bloc Québécois decided not to back the first non-confidence vote against the Liberal government’s budget.

This has little to do with what either party thinks of the actual contents of the budget and everything to do with political self-preservation.

The minority Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney survived the first of three confidence tests on its fall budget Thursday. The NDP and Bloc both decided not to support a Conservative amendment calling for major cuts to government spending. That decision, at least for now, keeps Carney’s government alive.

But make no mistake — this isn’t a vote of confidence in Carney or his fiscal plan. It’s a vote to avoid an election.

Neither opposition party wants to

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