Parliament adjourned in December with the challenges of minority government on full display. The fall session was defined by strategic positioning rather than legislative breakthroughs, as the government managed confidence risks while accepting slow legislative progress. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government passed just two bills, bringing the year’s total to five.
The session’s main event was Budget 2025, released in early November. Carney’s first budget emphasized industrial policy, infrastructure and defence spending. It doubled as a confidence vote — one the government survived through opposition abstentions and careful vote management.
The more important story is where the action moved. With a divided House limiting what legislation could pass, the Carney government turned to bilateral agreements, regulatory coordination and administrative streamlining. The Major Projects Office (MPO) and the Canada–Alberta MOU are now the central tools for advancing nationally significant projects outside the gridlock of Parliament.
The MPO, established earlier in 2025 and based in Calgary, has become the go-to vehicle for large infrastructure and resource projects. It consolidates federal oversight with a focus on regulatory alignment, Indigenous consultation and project certainty.
The Canada–Alberta MOU adds a regional dimension. Though it carries no legislative force, it signals closer federal-provincial cooperation on major projects and lets Ottawa demonstrate responsiveness to western priorities without reopening legislation. For Alberta, it offers progress on project certainty while preserving negotiating leverage.
The political landscape also shifted. Two Conservative MPs crossed the floor and a third resigned, strengthening the government’s position on confidence votes and adding pressure on the Opposition ahead of a January 2026 leadership review.
What it means: minority parliaments typically last around 18 months, and this one is approaching its midpoint. With opposition cohesion already showing cracks, the months ahead will test whether administrative momentum can be converted into visible results before electoral calculations take over. For organizations with priorities in Ottawa, the signal is clear — influence now runs through offices, agreements and officials as much as through the House itself.