Last night was a big night for the Liberal Party of Canada. Using a sneaky procedural rule that caught a bunch of Conservative MPs off guard at around Midnight last night, they passed the Budget through 3rd reading in the House of Commons.
This means the government will not be defeated before the fall sitting.
The Conservatives were understandably shocked and upset… especially since the Liberals also made a deal with the Bloc Quebecois to extend the parliamentary session past today so that the Same-Sex Marriage bill could be passed.
The Conservatives are screaming about “making deals with seperatists and socialists”… the thing they chose to ignore is that the Bloc were likely going to vote for the Same Sex marriage bill anyway, the deal made was simply to extend the parliamentary session to do so.
I could care less about the Budget and stuff for now, that issue is done and dealt with. The Conservatives weren’t about to pull down the governement because they knew they’d be skewered in the resulting election for doing so plus all the momentum they should have gained from the Sponsorship scandal has been totally wiped away by their own incessant screaming last month… plus the Grewal affair.
With the NDP, Bloc, and most Liberals voting in favour of the legislation, I don’t anticipate a terribly close vote. The majority of MPs in the house come from ridings which support Same Sex Marriage. That should be enough to tell Canadians of all political stripes that this is what Canadians want, and deserve.
I will be incredibly glad when the Same Sex bill finally passes. This debate will finally be over. The law will have been changed, for the better, and the rights of thousands of Canadians will have been confirmed and strengthened while still respecting the rights of others of all faiths and disposition to disagree.
Hopefully they can get it done before Canada Day and the Gay Pride parade in Toronto and across the country. If you’ve never seen Gay Pride in Toronto… GO. It’s one of the largest in the World and a total blast… and this legislation would make for an even more fantastic celebration!
They’ll be dancing in the streets.