http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/03/04/budget-vote.html
The Conservative budget easily passed in the House of Commons on Tuesday, after the Liberals decided to skip the vote.
Only 11 of 94 Liberals showed up to vote against the budget alongside the Bloc Québécois and the NDP. The Conservatives still had enough numbers of their own to ensure the budget passed with a vote of 125-90.
The budget is considered a matter of confidence. Had it not passed, the government would have fallen and an election would have to be called.
Only key Liberals showed up for the vote, including Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, deputy leader Michael Ignatieff, House Leader Ralph Goodale, and whip Karen Redman. They were surrounded by a sea of empty green chairs where their colleagues usually sit.
"That was the strategy," the CBC's Susan Bonner said, reporting from Parliament. "A lot of empty seats. Most of the Liberals were in the lobby behind there, they just weren't in the Commons itself for the vote."
The budget, tabled by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty on Feb. 26, offered only a few big-ticket items, centring on a tax-free personal savings plan for Canadians.
The Liberals have said they don't like the budget, but it's not damaging enough to warrant an election.
I swear if I could swear in here, all hell would be flying.....
Stupid God-Damned Liberals and their stupid antics FFS!
That twice now within the last few months that I remember that the Liberals either refused to vote, didn't show up to vote, or both.
Their F**king job is to get their sorry asses in those seats and vote for the people they represent, not to pizz off for a coffee break for a few hours..... I sure as hell am not paying their bills through my taxes for them to sit around and pick their friggin noses and plug it up their arses!
They either GTF in there and do their damn jobs and stop playing these games or they'll never get back into power.... not that I don't want them in power in the first place, but these antics are BS, they're not what the government is for and they friggin vote or we will!
If they're not going to do their damn jobs properly and loophole the processes of our government like this, then perhaps we should pull their lazy, slack asses out of there and do things ourselves!