Oh Canada

Fire of Liberty

According to this article in The Financial Times, the atmosphere seems to be very tense in Canada's Parliament for PM Paul Martin and his Liberal majority. It seems that their Conservative Opponents will team up with Bloc Quebecois and push for a no confidence vote after Martin has decided to scrap tax cuts and increase the federal budget. While the tax cuts and increased spending are motivators for a no-confidence vote, the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois also have a bevy of other reasons to call this vote. See here:

The budget has been widely seen as a possible vehicle for opposition parties to push through a no-confidence vote and trigger a general election. The opposition has been emboldened in recent weeks by a scandal involving the abuse of federal funds earmarked for advertising and sponsorship programmes in Quebec during the mid and late 1990s.

Witnesses at a judicial inquiry have testified that millions of dollars were siphoned off by advertising and public relations agencies friendly to the Liberals and that funds were funnelled to campaign organisers and perhaps to the party itself.

Opinion polls point to falling support for the Liberals, with gains for the Conservatives and New Democrats and, in particular, for the separatist Bloc Québécois.

The Conservatives and the Bloc have a combined total of 153 seats in the House of Commons just short of a majority of the 308 MPs. The Liberals and New Democrats together control 151 seats. The outcome of a no-confidence vote could thus hinge on three independent MPs. There is one vacancy.

If the government does fall, an election would probably be held in late June.

I guess it's about time for change in the halls of government in Ottawa. As with most parliamentary systems, your party can implode via a no- confidence vote if you don't have a large majority and are racked by scandals. After years of scandals under Jean Chretien and Paul Martin, I think that the Canadian people are ready for change. We'll see what happens.