No-confidence vote expected Friday

A spring election still hasn’t been called, but that didn’t stop parliament from switching into election mode during Thursday’s budget debate. The Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and NDP have all announced that they will reject the budget and bring about a no-confidence vote on Friday.

The vote is expected to topple Stephen Harper’s minority government and schedule the fifth election in the last ten years. The federal parties instead used the first and likely only day of debate to set their blueprints for the seemingly inevitable campaign.

The Conservatives accused the Liberals of allying with the Bloc and NDP in a bid to gain power.They also blasted all three parties for spending four hundred million dollars on an election campaign when the money could be better used elsewhere.

The Liberals attacked Harper’s government over its economic plan and a lack of transparency on government spending.

Meanwhile, the Bloc accused the Conservatives of ignoring Quebec, while NDP leader Jack Layton says Harper has repeatedly failed to improve the lives of Canadians. 

If the non-confidence vote passes as expected, an election will be scheduled for this spring, likely in early May.