PREVIEW: Canadians facing fourth federal elections in seven years

By Levon Sevunts Mar 24, 2011, 16:26 GMT

Ottawa ­ Canada's ruling minority Conservatives are headed for an almost certain defeat on Friday as all three opposition parties signalled that they'll vote for a motion declaring Stephen Harper's government in contempt of Parliament.

The Liberal-sponsored motion calls on legislators to agree with the findings of a parliamentary committee report released Monday. It found the Conservatives in contempt of Parliament for not supplying sufficient information on the cost of their tough-on-crime bills, the F-35 fighter jet procurement and corporate tax cuts.

'The government is in contempt of Parliament, which is unprecedented in Canadian parliamentary history, and, consequently, the House has lost confidence in the government,' reads the Liberal motion.

If the motion is passed, it will be the first time in Commonwealth history that a sitting government is declared in contempt of Parliament, experts said. The defeat will pave the way for a snap election, likely in early May.

It would be the fourth federal election in less than seven years in Canada, where neither the Conservatives nor the Liberals have been able to obtain a parliamentary majority since 2004.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Harper urged the opposition to reconsider and avoid an unnecessary election.'

'The opposition parties still have an opportunity to put Canadians' interest first, and it is not too late for them to step back, to think about the fragile global recovery,' he said.

Harper called on the opposition to pass the Tories' budget.

'Canada's economic recovery has been strong, but its continuation is by no means assured,' he said. 'This budget ... is designed to ensure the continuation of Canada's recovery.'

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff scoffed at the idea that only Tories can be trusted with managing Canada's economic recovery.

'This is a democracy, for heaven's sakes. This man (Harper) showed flagrant disregard for democracy. It's time to bring democracy back to Canada,' Ignatieff said.

The confidence vote is expected on Friday afternoon. Unless one of the opposition parties makes a sudden about-face, the Harper government, which last won power in October 2008, will fall.

Harper could ask Governor-General David Johnston, Queen's representative in Canada, to dissolve Parliament as early as Saturday.

The Conservatives are expected to run on their successful record of guiding Canada's recovery from recession.

But on Thursday, they opened a second front, warning of a possible coalition government between the left-of-centre Liberals and left- wing New Democratic Party, with the tacit support of the separatist Bloc Quebecois party from the French-speaking province of Quebec. The presence of Bloc Quebecois in the federal Parliament is an emotionally charged issue, particularly in Western Canada.

The Liberals, on the other hand, hope to capitalize on the growing list of scandals surrounding the Harper government and their own record in slaying the deficit in mid-1990s.

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