야당은 오늘 오후 겨우명맥을 유지해가는 자유당 소수정권을, 투표를 통해,물러나게 할수있는 발판을 마련했다. 그러나 자유당 정권은, 이번 투표는 실제로 소수정권을 넘어뜨리기위한 t신임 투표가 아니었기 때문에, 정권을 내놓치 않을것이라며 벼텼다. 그러나 오늘 투표에서 야당의 성공은, 연방정부의 스폰서쉽 스캔달로 어수선한 분위기가 안정될때까지 어떻게든 선거를 연기해 볼려고 안간힘을 쓰고 있는 정부로서는 큰 타격이 아닐수 없다. 화요일의 투표는 가까스로 야당이 승리했지만 - 보수당과 퀘백당이 합심하여 153표로 찬선을 던져서, 150표로 반대를 표시한 자유당을 누른것이다. 투표결과를 보는순간, 보수당과 퀘백당 의원들은 우뢰같은 박수를 보냈었다. 보수당 당수 스티븐 합퍼는" 연방 수상은 합법적으로 통치할수 있는 권한이 있다고 믿는다면, 과감하게 일어나서, 의원들의 신임을 묻는 투표를 해야하는것이 순서임을 역설할것이라 선언했다. 의회밖에서 스티븐 합퍼는, 의회가 민주적 절차를 밟아 처리한것을 무시해 버리는 정권에 대하여 논하면서, 이러한 상황을 처리하기위한 후속 절차를 내일 하게될것이라고 말했다. 만약에 자유당 정부가 쓰러지면, 지난번 선거로 새정부를 구성한지 10개월만에 캐나다인들은 다시 투표장에 나가게되는 셈이다. Gomery 청문회에서 밝혀지는 부정으로, 보수당은 지금이 밀어부쳐 선거를 치러야 적기라고 느낄것이고, 반면에 자유당은 시간을 끌면은, 청문회에서의 나쁜 여론이 국민들의 뇌리에서 멀어지게되여, 오히려 좋은 결과를 얻을수 있을것으로 볼수도 있다 라고 Nolan, 웨스턴 대학교수는 이번 상황을 설명하고 있다. 이상은 오늘자 Globe and Mail지의 기사를 일부 옮긴것입니다. 자세한 내용은 아래 원본을 참조 하시기를.... 스폰서쉽 스캔달에 대한 청문회가 끝날때까지 버티겠다는것은, 그사이에 자유당이 지금까지 해온것 처럼 꽁수를 써서, 국민들에게 환심을 사기위한 사탕발림을 찾을려는 치사한 방법인것을 국민들은 이제 다 알고 있기에 순순히 응해,하루라도 빨리 정국의 혼미상태를 수습하는게 국익을 위하는 행위라고 믿고 싶읍니다. 저의 개인 생각입니다. By TERRY WEBER Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Updated at 6:49 PM EDT Globe and Mail Update Opposition MPs managed to force a motion through the House of Commons Tuesday demanding the fragile Liberal minority government step down. The Liberals, however, say they don't consider the move a true no-confidence motion and won't resign. But the success of the effort deals another blow to a government desperately trying to stave off an election until the dust settles around the federal sponsorship scandal. Tuesday's motion passed by a razor-thin margin, with 153 MPs — representing a union of Conservatives and members of the Bloc Québécois — voting in favour, while 150 voted against it. The result drew applause from the Bloc and Conservatives in the House. "I would challenge the Prime Minister if he believes he has the constitutional authority to govern, that he rise in the House and call for a vote of confidence," Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said. Outside the house, Mr. Harper also said that the Conservatives would take "additional steps to deal with this situation tomorrow," saying the government is ignoring the democratic will of Parliament. During a press conference earlier in the day, Liberal House Leader Tony Valeri called Tuesday's motion — which asks the public accounts committee to rewrite a report so that it calls on the government to resign — “procedural” and said the government would remain in power until the Opposition mounted a valid confidence vote. The Liberals Tuesday offered to schedule three opposition days during which MPs can introduce such a measure in the house. The vote capped a tumultuous day on Parliament Hill, with all sides circling their wagons. Conservative MPs were arriving in full force for the vote, with at least two seriously ill MPs — Darrel Stinson and David Chatters — flying in from their sick beds in Western Canada. During question period, Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe called the vote a “moment of truth” for Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority government. “Will the prime minister respect the will of the elected representatives of the people, recognize that he no longer has the trust and confidence of the house and call an election?” he asked. But Mr. Martin reiterated that opposition parties will have their chance to topple the government — just not on Tuesday. “There will be other opportunities,” he said. “Certainly with respect to the budget, and there are opposition days as well.” Earlier in the day, Conservative Deputy Leader Peter MacKay said the failure of a the Liberal minority government to recognize a successful vote calling for its resignation would mark a new low in Canadian political history. “Well, I think that that will be, perhaps, one of the lowest points in Canadian history,” Mr. MacKay told CBC Newsworld. “If we see a government so desperate, so self-motivated, and clinging to power and ignore the democratic will of the house of commons, I think we would have hit a new low point in our Canadian history.” Michael Nolan, a professor in the faculty of information and media studies at the University of Western Ontario, said, at this point, the Liberals have little to lose by playing for time. Against the backdrop of testimony in the Gomery inquiry, the Conservatives may now feel “now is the time” to force a vote. But, as time passes and the impact of testimony from the probe recedes, the tables could turn, he said. “Their argument that ethically you can't keep this government in power has some resonance with the stuff that's coming out of the Gomery inquiry, so I think the optics right now are working in the Conservatives' favour,” he said. “Whether they will be weeks from now will be another story, I think. I think familiarity can breed a little indifference. My point is, I guess, the Liberals have little to lose by playing for time.” If the government falls, it would mean an election just 10 months after Canadians last went to the polls. The Conservatives have cited outrage over damaging allegations against the Liberals at the Gomery inquiry into the federal sponsorship scandal as necessitating an election. Although the allegations took an early toll on the Liberals, recent polls suggest that they have regained at least some popularity and hold a slight lead over the Conservatives. With a file from Canadian Press