Possible Canadian Election Trigger: Tories call for confidence vote on crime bill

[Every Breaking Wave]

From CBC News:

The Conservative government tabled a confidence motion on Thursday, demanding that the Senate pass its violent crime bill by March 1.

The tackling violent crime act passed in the House of Commons in November, but needs Senate approval to be made into law. The Conservatives have accused the Liberal-dominated Senate of stalling.

"The Senate must stop all this finagling and pass the bill," government House Leader Peter Van Loan told reporters in Ottawa.

The bill calls for stricter rules surrounding gun crimes, violent crimes and dangerous offenders, and calls for increasing the age of sexual consent to 16 from 14 in certain cases.

A confidence motion has the power to topple the government. If it doesn't pass in the House, the government is defeated and an election called immediately.

And the Canadian Press:

The Conservative government introduced a confidence motion Thursday in a bid to force the Senate to pass anti-crime legislation - and embarrass the Liberals.

The motion calls on the House of Commons to direct the Liberal-dominated Senate to pass the bill by March 1 or trigger an election. But Liberal senators have bristled at the deadline, and it's unclear if the Conservatives can force an election over the matter.

The move appears to be the latest Tory effort to step up election pressure while casting their main foes as soft on crime.

Opposition politicians wonder what sudden rush is.

They point out that the Tories let months pass between the introduction of the crime bills in their original form and when the government actually spoke to them.

 

[Fig]

The only question left is what will the Conservative fall over - and who will win the follow-up election.

This, Afghanistan, etc...

Shame that they're likely to fall over Afghanistan, since I happen to agree with them on that issue - if the Euros get their heads out of their asses, we should stay.

 

[Every Breaking Wave]

Last that I heard, the Conservative still had a majority of votes, although I don't know if it's enough for a majority government. I really hate the way Stephen Harper presents every issue though, making almost every single one a "confidence" matter, when he knows that (most) of the opposition don't want an election just yet.

He pushes all of his measures through this way because he knows that the Liberals are the only party who can challenge the Conservatives right now, and the Liberals (or at least, Dion) don't want an election just yet. He's trying to run the country as an autocracy instead of the democracy we're supposed to have.

Yeah, don't even get me started on this...