Canada's Conservative government tabled an unusual motion Tuesday in the House of Commons calling for the Senate to pass an omnibus crime bill.
The motion passed 172-27 in the 308-seat parliament, with the support of Bloc Quebecois. The New Democratic Party voted against it. Liberal leader Stephane Dion led his caucus to leave the parliament before the vote, ensuring its passage.
The motion is a confidence one, meaning its defeat would have toppled the government and triggered an election.
But the government still said that if the Senate does not pass the bill by March 1 as called for, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has the option of going to the Governor General, asking for dissolving the parliament and calling an election.
Bill C-2, the Tackling Violent Crime Act, which consists of five bills, was passed by the parliament in November. The government had claimed the Liberal-dominated Senate was holding up the bill on purpose.
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