Opposition members of Parliament managed to force a motion through the Canadian House of Commons Tuesday demanding the fragile Liberal minority government step down.

The Globe and Mail has the story here:

The Liberals, however, say they don’t consider the move a true no-confidence motion and won’t resign.

But the success of the effort deals another blow to a government desperately trying to stave off an election until the dust settles around the federal sponsorship scandal.

Tuesday’s motion passed by a razor-thin margin, with 153 MPs — representing a union of Conservatives and members of the Bloc Québécois — voting in favour, while 150 voted against it.

The result drew applause from the Bloc and Conservatives in the House.

“I would challenge the Prime Minister if he believes he has the constitutional authority to govern, that he rise in the House and call for a vote of confidence,” Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said.

Outside the house, Mr. Harper also said that the Conservatives would take “additional steps to deal with this situation tomorrow,” saying the government is ignoring the democratic will of Parliament.

During a press conference earlier in the day, Liberal House Leader Tony Valeri called Tuesday’s motion — which asks the public accounts committee to rewrite a report so that it calls on the government to resign — “procedural” and said the government would remain in power until the Opposition mounted a valid confidence vote.

The Liberals Tuesday offered to schedule three opposition days during which MPs can introduce such a measure in the house.

The vote capped a tumultuous day on Parliament Hill, with all sides circling their wagons.

Conservative MPs were arriving in full force for the vote, with at least two seriously ill MPs — Darrel Stinson and David Chatters — flying in from their sick beds in Western Canada.

During question period, Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe called the vote a “moment of truth” for Prime Minister Paul Martin’s minority government.

“Will the prime minister respect the will of the elected representatives of the people, recognize that he no longer has the trust and confidence of the house and call an election?” he asked.

But Mr. Martin reiterated that opposition parties will have their chance to topple the government — just not on Tuesday.

“There will be other opportunities,” he said.

“Certainly with respect to the budget, and there are opposition days as well.”

The Liberals response to the vote is a joke and the Canadian people should demand Paul Martin step down and call elections immediately.

These type of machinations have lead to revolutions and Coup D’etats before.

Update #1

The Washington Post has this story here:

Following a raucous session of Parliament in Ottawa, Stephen Harper, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, demanded the resignation. “We have in office a corrupt party which now is ignoring the democratically expressed will of the House of Commons,” Harper said. “This government does not have the moral authority and the constitutional authority to govern.”

Although considered merely procedural by the ruling Liberal Party, Canada’s political crisis could come to a head late Tuesday afternoon when the Conservatives bring forward a motion calling for the Liberals to step down.

The vote is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. EDT.

The Globe and Mail has the story here:

The failure of a the Liberal minority government to recognize a successful vote calling for its resignation would mark a new low in Canadian political history, Conservative Deputy Leader Peter MacKay said Tuesday.

The Conservatives, with the backing of the Bloc Québécois, insist the motion is one of no confidence, and early indications suggest they may have the numbers to get the vote through.

The Liberals argue, however, that the motion is procedural rather than one of confidence, so they will not recognize it. That position continued to trigger outrage among opposition members Tuesday.

“Well, I think that that will be, perhaps, one of the lowest points in Canadian history,” Mr. MacKay told CBC Newsworld.

“If we see a government so desperate, so self-motivated, and clinging to power and ignore the democratic will of the house of commons, I think we would have hit a new low point in our Canadian history.”

Although the numbers are close, they appear to favour the Conservatives narrowly. Two Tory MPs with cancer are being flown in for the vote, while B.C. independent Chuck Cadman — expected to support the Liberals — is likely to be absent following chemotherapy treatment on Monday.

So, would this spur a parliamentary crisis which the Canadian courts would have to sort out? Or will the Liberals simply ignore this motion.

Stay tuned.