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A prime minister's request to temporarily suspend parliament had never been turned down, but nor had such a request been made when the government was certain to lose a confidence vote.

"There is no precedent whatsoever in Canada and probably in the Commonwealth," constitutional expert Ned Franks told AP news agency. "We are in uncharted territory."

British Bollocks Corporation, IMO. Madame Jean is no fool. The uncharted, but predictable, territory would have been to turn the country over to the three stooges, Dion, Layton, and Duceppe.

Harper wasn't running from an election. That's the last thing the three stooges wanted; Harper would have won handily, likely with a majority, and they knew it - they thought they would pull a fast one and gain power without facing the country, which just rejected them.

Harper and Jean did the right thing, with the country facing severe economic problems. Harper can get right on preparing a new budget rather than wasting a couple of months fighting an election while leaving the country without a government.