Liberals could fall in evening confidence vote (Canada) | Globe and Mail

[Ediacara]

Liberals could fall in evening confidence vote


Photo: Tom Hanson/CP
Prime Minister Paul Martin after meeting
with the cabinet on Thursday.

By ALLISON DUNFIELD
Globe and Mail Update

The Liberal minority government and the opposition Tories and Bloc Québécois are locked in a political wrestling match Thursday that could cause the relatively newly elected government to be toppled.

Thursday evening, MPs will vote on a Bloc Québécois sub-amendment to the government's Throne Speech. However, the Liberal government has made the sub-amendment a confidence motion, meaning that if it passes, the Liberal minority government will fall.

The Conservative Party said Thursday it will vote with the Bloc Québécois on the Bloc's sub-amendment to the Throne Speech.

More at the Globe and Mail

WTF is going on!? Is is usual practice to have confidence votes ride on silly measures like this?

[Minstrel Boy]

1. It's just a game of chicken.

But nobody really wants an election this early, so everybody is going to blink before that happens.

[Lisa]

2. the parties know that anyone responsible for a premature election

... will be roasted by irate Canadian voters.

So we could end up with the surreal situation of an opposition party that wins a non-confidence motion, begging the government to stay in place for fear of being slammed at the polls.

And you thought your government was weird!

[Maple]

3. Well the vote is on the Throne speech

Which is the major blueprint the Liberals just got elected on.

And this amendment would alter the structure of the country and give the provinces control over federal finances.

I think you'll see a number of MPs absent, so the government doesn't fall. Lotta drama queens on the opposition benches

[davidinalameda]

4. Parties avoid confidence vote

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20041007.wlib1008/BNStory/Front/

not gonna happen, at least today