Liberals plan to ignore no confidence vote

[Said1]

This is getting ridiculous, as in deserving ridicule!

Parties bicker over meaning of May 18 vote
Last Updated Fri, 06 May 2005 09:46:53 EDT
CBC News
OTTAWA - Federal Liberals are downplaying a Conservative victory in the House of Commons Thursday, saying it can't possibly lead to the minority government's defeat.

Conservative MPs joined with Bloc Québécois members to win approval from Speaker Peter Milliken for a parliamentary vote within two weeks on a motion calling on Paul Martin's government to resign.

The two opposition parties insist that the May 18 motion will be what's called a confidence vote, meaning the government must step down if it passes.

Liberal House leader Tony Valeri disputes that interpretation, however.

He said the amendment the Conservatives have won the right to use in order to force a vote amounts to a procedural matter, and thus cannot bring down the government.

The motion will ask the House of Commons to direct its own finance committee to amend a 2004 report to call on Martin's government to step down because the 2005 budget fails to include a large number of the finance committee's recommendations.

"This is an instruction to a committee," Valeri said. "This is not a confidence motion at all."

Continued