Canada headed for election
Reuters UK – Canada’s shaky minority Liberal government lost a vote of confidence on Monday, ending a 17-month stay in office that was largely overshadowed by a patronage scandal.
Prime Minister Paul Martin quickly announced he would visit Governor General Michaelle Jean — the representative of head of state Queen Elizabeth — at 9.30 a.m. (1430 GMT) on Tuesday to ask her to dissolve Parliament and set an election date.
A well-placed source told Reuters that Martin would call the vote for January 23, setting the scene for the country’s first winter campaign in more than 25 years.
Opposition legislators, who voted 171-133 to bring down what they describe as a corrupted government, cheered when the results were declared. Recent opinion polls show the most likely result is another minority Liberal government, which will again be forced to rely on support from other parties to stay in power.
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