"The ayes have it."

[Ted-Easton]

A vote was just taken in the House of Commons to reccommend a committee charge the government to resign. The result was 153 for and 150 against (if the two liberal caucus members who were absent, the only two in the whole house, were present, the vote would have been 153 to 152). This was widely publicized as a vote which could topple the government despite the fact that it wasn't a confidence motion (if the government loses a confidence motion it must call an election). It was merely a set of instructions to a committee (albeit a set of instructions telling the committee to tell the government to resign).
Stephen Harper tried to force Paul Martin to call a confidence motion, saying he "challenged" the PM, but no furthur vote was made.

Things are winding up in this session of the house, and it ispossible the government will fall on Thursday when the vote is taken on the revised budget, which now includes many NDP proposals.