Conservative MP Stubbs defends missing budget vote after surgery

OTTAWA — Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs missed Monday’s critical budget vote because she is recovering from major surgery, a statement posted to social media said Tuesday.

The budget motion passed by just two votes, allowing the minority Liberals to stay in power.

Stubbs and Matt Jeneroux were the two Conservatives who did not vote on the budget. After rumours started circulating suggesting that Jeneroux was planning to join the Liberals, he said earlier this month he will be resigning his seat.

A number of angry messages were directed at Stubbs on social media for missing the vote — including some calling her a traitor.

The statement said Stubbs is on medical leave after undergoing jaw and chin surgery that initially was supposed to happen in the spring. It said the surgery, which was rescheduled because of the election, is the result of a “significant medical condition” she has had since birth.

The statement said Stubbs is on strict bedrest and has been ordered not to speak during her recovery. It said that she “strongly opposes Carney’s credit card budget.”

Members of Parliament can cast a vote in the House of Commons virtually, using an app that requires facial recognition.

Many of the online attacks came in response to posts on Stubbs’s X account over the last several days — including one three-minute video of her talking about why Conservatives are opposed to a Liberal law that was passed last year.

The statement said any videos shared recently were pre-recorded before she had the surgery. It does not say when she expects to be back in the House of Commons.

Stubbs also did not take part in two confidence votes on amendments to the budget that happened on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7.

Jeneroux abstained from all three confidence votes and has not been in the House of Commons this week. He has not said when he plans to resign as an MP.

Two NDP MPs also did not vote on Monday, while Green Party Leader Elizabeth May voted with the government. That helped the Liberals survive the confidence vote by a margin of 170 to 168.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2025.

The Canadian Press