Canada’s Tories Survive Confidence Motion on Speaker’s Vote

When one thinks of Ottawa, if one thinks of it at all, theatre does not immediately spring to mind. Yet, Canada’s capital, what one columnist at Macleans used to call “the town that fun forgot,” was the scene last night of one of the greatest examples of the high art of political theatre ever seen. In the end, the survival of the government came down to the conscience of one man, and parliamentary tradition.

As noted last week, the minority government of Liberal PM Paul Martin lost what should have been a confidence motion last week, 153-150, but he decided it wasn’t a confidence issue and remained in office. Yesterday’s vote was not ambiguous; when a government loses on a major budget vote, it must resign.

The division of the 308 member Canadian House of Commons is: Liberals (known also as “The Grits”) 133, Conservatives (Tories) 98, Bloc Quebecois (French Nationalists) 54, New Democrat Party (lefties) 19, and 3 independents. There is a vacancy, and by custom, the Speaker of the House only votes in the event of a tie, and he does so to maintain the ability of the House to reconsider its vote at a later time. Since the Grits and the NDP were for C-48 (the budget measure), and the Tories and BQ against, the major parties were divided 152-152. It came down to the three independents.

But how the 152-152 division happened was a matter of theatre as well. Tory MP Belinda Stronach changed sides the day before the vote. She was castigated by a great many for being an opportunist with an eye out for the main chance. Feminists complained that no man would have been targeted in such a way. No man changed sides right before the vote, either. However, her romantic attachment to Deputy Leader of the Tories, Peter MacKay, made her defection a more soap operatic move.

At the same time, Tory Darrel Stinson could not attend since he was undergoing cancer surgery this week. In the sort of fair play that used to exist in America, Liberal MP Peter Adams didn’t vote. Among the independents, Carolyn Parrish announced that she, as a former Liberal Party member would back the government despite needing painkillers for what was possibly ovarian cancer or appendicitis (sources couldn’t agree); meanwhile, David Kilgour said he’d vote the other way.

It is rare when the history of a nation really does rest on the shoulders of just one person, but last night, that was the role of Mr. Chuck Cadman, MP from British Columbia and also a cancer patient. As the MPs went into the House, he had not said a thing, and the scrum of reporters following him in was probably capable of playing rugby against Wales. They would have to wait.

First, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's website showed a vote that the Tories backed, a sort of overture to the main event. Then, C-48 was called, and the votes counted. All the “Yeas” stood by party, Grits first, NDP next, and each MPs name was announced. Then, Ms. Parrish rose to vote “Yea.” Then, for a heartbeat all eyes were on the seated Mr. Cadman – who then stood to the cheers of half the house, bringing the government to 152. The Tories and BQ then voted “Nay,” but they could count. They had 152 as well. And then, Speaker of the House Peter Milliken, who is a Liberal MP but votes according to custom with the government regardless in a tie, began with a quip to the effect he wished the House wouldn’t do things like this to him. And then explained, "The parliamentary precedents are clear. The Speaker should vote, whenever possible, for continuation of debate on a question that cannot be decided by the House." 153-152, for the government. This government will fall before the year is out, but for now, it is alive, by the thinnest of margins.

One wishes Mr. Cadman, Ms. Parrish and Mr. Stinson speedy recoveries – but at the same time, one also hopes never to play poker with Mr. Cadman. It would be an unaffordable evening.


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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