[In The Crease]

Resign now, you thieves!

[rasblue]

If Canadians had gumption, guts, were not submissive timid peasants, and cared about anything at all (they don't care even about hockey anymore) they would be on the streets.
Heck in most countries they would be burning down the police stations right now.
The US has the 2nd ammendment and now we see why.

[GMMAC]

OTTAWA (CP) - The opposition powered through a motion Tuesday demanding that the wobbly minority government resign, but the Liberals dismissed it as a dress rehearsal for the real non-confidence vote they promise later this month.

The outcome will likely mean more disarray in a House of Commons already almost at a standstill. The minority government shrugged off the motion as only procedural, even though it strained mightily to get it turfed before the Commons even voted Tuesday evening.

The vote was close at 153-150, with at least two Liberal cabinet ministers absent. The seat count in the House is so close that every vote counts, including the three Independents.

Conservative Opposition Leader Stephen Harper immediately demanded that Prime Minister Paul Martin call a formal vote of confidence.

"I would challenge the prime minister, if he believes he has the constitutional authority, to rise in his place and to call for a vote of confidence," Harper said.

The House broke down into shouting when Liberal House leader Tony Valeri said parliamentary precedent makes it clear the vote was not a motion of confidence.

The Speaker ruled Harper's demand out of order and the House returned to normal business, debating heritage lighthouses.

The call to resign was one of several attempts by the opposition to bring down what has become a shaky minority government under Martin.

The Conservative-led motion was similar to one they plan to bring forward May 18.

The attempts mark an increasingly chaotic Parliament degenerating into daily name-calling and demands for the government to resign.

The opposition, especially the Tories and Bloc Quebecois, have seized on damning testimony at the sponsorship inquiry in past weeks to put the once-stable Liberal minority in peril.

"Mr. Martin's behaviour has gone from dithering to desperate and now to dangerous," Harper said after the vote. "And this is a very serious situation."

Source