Parliament breaks for summer after MPs pass spending bill.

Canada's long-running minority Parliament closed quietly Friday for a three-month summer recess after a fractious session, which ended with MPs voting on a routine spending bill that had threatened to topple the government. The bill passed by a 214-82 margin with the support of the Liberals, though both the Bloc Québécois and New Democratic Party voted against it. Liberal support — which was key to avoiding a rare summer election — came after Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff and Prime Minister Stephen Harper reached a deal earlier this week to have a panel study reforms to Employment Insurance over the summer. Deal on EI averts election The working group's discussions will include a consideration of the eligibility criteria for EI, including possible coverage for self-employed workers and lower eligibility thresholds. During the discussions, the Liberals will also have access to several briefing documents and data collected by the government. A report recommending any changes will be submitted to the Prime Minister's Office by Sept. 28 and then presented to the House of Commons. The deal also calls for the government to produce another economic report card to the House of Commons that week. Ignatieff said this was a concession while the prime minister said the extra report was his government's suggestion. The deal was largely responsible for the congenial ambience in the House as MPs prepared to embark on their annual summer break — a marked contrast to the tense atmosphere when Parliament re-started in late January after being prorogued at Harper's request. Opposition parties form coalition That crisis was ignited when the freshly re-elected prime minister effectively declared political war on opposition parties last November by launching his controversial economic statement. In response, the Liberals, NDP and Bloc hastily formed a coalition. They accused Harper of doing nothing to address the economic crisis in his statement and slammed what they saw as ideologically driven measures such as the proposed elimination of subsidies for political parties, a three-year ban on the right of civil servants to strike and limits on the ability of women to sue for pay equity. Harper later backed down on those contentious issues, but the opposition pushed forward with the coalition, threatening to bring down the government. The coalition — which would have had a 24-member cabinet composed of six NDP and 18 Liberal MPs — had vowed to make an economic stimulus package a priority, proposing a multibillion-dollar plan that would include help for the auto and forestry sectors. With 77 Liberal MPs and 37 New Democrats, plus the support of 49 Bloc members, the three parties would have had more seats than the 143 held by the Tories at the time. Gov. Gen. suspends Parliament But Harper averted a confidence vote that could have toppled his minority government after convincing Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean to grant his request to suspend Parliament on Dec. 4, 2008. In the meantime, Michael Ignatieff was named interim Liberal leader after Stéphane Dion stepped down, and the three-party coalition dissolved. After Parliament resumed, the Conservatives introduced a massive spending document on Jan. 27, ending more than a decade of surplus federal budgets. It garnered grudging "probationary" support from the Liberals under Ignatieff, and none at all from the Bloc and NDP. By contrast, after Friday afternoon's anti-climatic vote, there was an air of camaraderie and cubbishness on the floor of the House, said the CBC's Susan Bonner. "Floor-crossing, hand shakes, back pats, travel plans exchanged, smiles all around. Dennis Coderre is shaking the prime minister's hand …The House is full. The summer is safe. The fall is still anybody's guess." However, despite the appearance of collaboration between Harper and Ignatieff, the political adversaries are expected to renew their confidence showdown when Parliament resumes in the fall. 'Two scorpions in a bottle' "It's like two scorpions in a bottle," Tom Flanagan, Harper's former chief of staff and campaign strategist, told the Canadian Press in an interview Thursday. "They can't get out, and they're stuck with each other." After clinching the deal to get Liberal support for the vote on the supplementary spending estimates, Harper had said it was "crazy" to suggest the move merely postponed the fall of his government until the autumn. "We could be defeated every other week on something in September, October, November, December," he said. "That's the nature of a minority parliament. But I don't think the public wants surprises, and I don't think the public wants an unnecessary election." Flanagan suggested Harper spend the summer honing his powers of negotiation and getting in touch with the co-operative side of his personality. "I think it would be in Mr. Harper's interest — just his crass political interest — by buying him more time in office," he said. "But at the same time, it would give the Liberals some influence." Meanwhile, opposition parties were advised to use the summer to get their act together quickly because a minority government can fall at any time, so "they don't have the luxury of time," said Eddie Goldenberg, a top adviser to former prime minister Jean Chrétien. Confidence showdown looms Things on the opposition's to-do-list should include holding the government accountable by publicizing shortcomings, setting policy, as well as organizing on the ground to prepare for the next election. "Most of that is done without much publicity," he told the Canadian Press Thursday. "You do it quietly, and it's a good thing to do over the summer."

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