Tight politics

Through the miracle of modern computer technology, I was privileged enough to be able to watch the pivotal vote in the House of Commons that could have brought down the Canadian government. In the end, after each and every member stood and had their vote counted, the result was Yeas 152, Nays 152. So the vote to pass the budget, show Parliamentary confidence in the government, and decide whether there would be an election in June came down to one man, the Speaker of the House. In Canada, the Speaker is himself an MP, elected from the ranks of members by the rest of the House, and the current Speaker is a Liberal MP from the Kingston area. As a result, he voted with the government (although this is also in line with Parliamentary tradition) so the final result was 153-152. So for now, the budget goes forward, the government hangs on, and no election is scheduled. But this whole fiasco isn't over yet.