Confidence vote avoided: Martin agrees to reworded Bloc amendment  
by Romeo St. Martin

[PoliticsWatch posted 7:00 p.m. October 7, 2004]

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, his press secretary, Carolyn Olson Stewart, and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe stand outside the prime minister's Centre Block office Thursday afternoon.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Paul Martin avoided a confidence vote Thursday night minutes before a vote on a Bloc sub-amendment to the throne speech was to be held.  

The Liberals and the NDP agreed to support a reworded amendment put forward by Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe. 

The Bloc rewording was the similar as the original sub-amendment about addressing the fiscal imbalance experienced by the provinces, except a reference to Quebec Premier Jean Charest is removed and the wording around the fiscal imbalance changed to say "some call the fiscal imbalance." 

The original Bloc amendment said, "and we ask Your Excellency's advisors to ensure that all measures brought forward to implement the Speech from the Throne, including those referred to above, fully respect the provinces' areas of jurisdiction and that the financial pressures the provinces are suffering as a consequence of the fiscal imbalance be alleviated, as demanded by the Premier of Quebec." 

Transport Minister Jean Lapierre said early on Thursday the prime minister had received legal advice that the Bloc sub-amendment was a matter of confidence because it mentioned a third party, Quebec Premier Jean Charest. 

In the greatest sign of Parliamentary cooperation between the Liberals and the other opposition parties to date since the election, Martin called Conservative Leader Stephen Harper to inform him about the legal advice he received and to set up a meeting with him and Duceppe.

Duceppe said Harper, Martin and himself met in Martin's office Thursday afternoon to discuss the text and how to reword it. Duceppe said NDP Leader Jack Layton was not involved in the discussions 

Less than half an hour before the vote was to be held, Duceppe rose in the House to say he had changed his amendment. Martin then rose and said he agreed. 

Harper also rose in the House to say he would also agree. 

"From time to time our rhetoric may get overheated, but I think this is a demonstration that this minority Parliament can work in the interests of all of us," he said. 

Earlier in the day, the prime minister raised the stakes on the Bloc amendment when he emerged from a cabinet meeting to say he would make the matter a vote of confidence. 

"If the government were to fall on this issue, then we would go to the polls," he said bluntly.

The PM said such a motion would diminish the role of Parliament.

The Bloc motion had the support of the Conservatives. The Conservatives and Liberals hold 153 of the 308 seats in the House. The NDP, who were going to vote against the amendment, and the Liberals hold 154 seats, minus one for Liberal Speaker Peter Milliken, who can only vote in the event of a tie. 

Independent MP Chuck Cadman, who is a former Conservative MP who lost his nomination battle in the spring, holds the other seat, and did not reveal which way he would vote.

All signs pointed to a close vote, with Cadman potentially breaking the tie.

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