Last week, while Bill Frist & Co. were getting ready to outlaw the judicial filibuster, and Newsweek was being pummeled for repeating year-old allegations that many in-the-know have corroborated, up in Canada, the fledgling right to same-sex marriage came within a breath ( almost literally ) of being killed. In the end, drama did not turn into tragedy.
In Canada's parliamentary system, the party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons gets to form the government. Last June, in a tight race, Paul Martin's Liberal Party secured 135 of the total 308 seats. With its 99 seats the Conservative Party, led by traditionalist Stephen Harper, formed the Official Opposition. The Bloc Québécois ( BQ ) grabbed 54 seats, the New Democratic Party ( NDP ) held on to 19, and one independent was also elected. The Liberals' thin margin gave rise to the country's tenth minority government.
Such a statistical breakdown almost inevitably means political breakdown as well. It is usually a matter of months. There are a number of ways the Opposition can introduce a motion of no-confidence in order to topple the government. Attaching one to the proposed budget is the most common and this is what Harper did. The stage was set for a May 19 showdown. A 'no' vote would force the dissolution of Parliament and a national election this summer. All existing bills would have to be tabled again. Some, like the one legalizing same-sex marriage, would simply be scuttled if the Conservatives took power.
In early May, with one seat now vacant and two additional Members of Parliament ( MP ) sitting as independents, a frantic numbers' game began with everyone trying to predict the outcome of the vote. Pie charts, equations, and speculations filled the papers and airwaves. Meanwhile, deals were being made. The Liberals obtained a promise of support from the NDP ( the most progressive party on LGBT rights ) in exchange for a repeal of certain tax cuts and an increase in funding for social programs. The Conservatives courted the BQ. Having removed anti-abortion measures ( among others ) from their platform, they convinced the Quebec-based party to join them. By Friday, May 13, their 153-seat coalition seemed to spell disaster for a government whose approval ratings kept dropping. All they had to do was convince one of the independents.
In the week leading up to the critical vote, semi-secret meetings, slightly strange developments, and surprise announcements created a surreal national atmosphere. Rumors surfaced of a diplomatic post and a Senate seat being offered to an Opposition MP and his wife. The three independent MPs were lobbied relentlessly by political operatives. They received hundreds of calls and letters from constituents advising them one way and the other. One of them is suffering from cancer and declared that he would fly in for the vote but would not decide which way he would go until entering the House of Commons. Then, when it was discovered that a Conservative MP, who also is fighting cancer, was scheduled to undergo surgery on Wednesday and would therefore not attend on Thursday, the NDP released a statement saying that one of its own would abstain from voting in order not to take advantage of the situation.
On Tuesday, things heated up even more. Conservative MP Belinda Stronach, who had been vocal about her disagreement with her party's stand against same-sex marriage, announced that she was crossing over to the governing Liberals. They were making her Minister of Human Resources, effective immediately. The move had been negotiated the previous evening over a two-hour dinner with Prime Minister Martin. In a twist worthy of a Hollywood screenplay, Stronach is ( or was, nobody is talking ) the intimate partner of Peter MacKay, the Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party.
Wednesday also brought its share of commotion. While on the floor of the House, a Liberal MP started feeling chest pains. He was helped by a legislator who happens to be a doctor before being rushed to a hospital by ambulance. It was later determined that he had not suffered a heart attack and he was able to return the next day.
The budget vote finally took place Thursday night with 305 of the 307 elected MPs filing their yay or nay. It was a tie. For the first time in Canadian history, the Speaker of the House was called upon to break a no-confidence deadlock. By casting the deciding vote in favor of the sitting government, he defeated the Opposition's motion and ensured legislative continuity for the next few months.
The current session of Parliament ends on June 23. The bill to remove gender references from the definition of marriage ( C-38 ) has already passed the second reading and is expected to go through the third and final one easily. It is likely to become law right in the middle of Pride week.
