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Just What is a Vote of Confidence? The Curious Case of May 10, 2005

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2007

Andrew Heard
Andrew Heard
Affiliation:
Simon Fraser University
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Abstract

Abstract. Despite the confidence convention's central part in Canadian parliamentary government, little attention has been paid to what exactly constitutes a vote of confidence. This uncertainty was highlighted in May 2005, when the opposition parties in the House of Commons passed a motion which they claimed was a confidence motion but the government did not. This paper examines the episode, and the motion at the heart of the controversy, to determine whether it should have been considered a confidence vote. Historical precedents from 1926 to 2005 provide the context for the analysis and conclusions about what signifies a test of confidence.

Résumé. Malgré le rôle central de la convention de confiance dans le système parlementaire canadien, peu d'attention a été accordée à définir ce que constitue exactement un vote de confiance. Cette imprécision a été mise en évidence en mai 2005 lors du vote officiel sur une motion contre le gouvernement, lorsqu'il y a eu désaccord sur ce qui représentait une “ défaite ” du gouvernement dans la législature. Cet article examine les événements autour de cette motion, afin de déterminer si cette dernière a réellement constitué un vote de confiance. Quelques conclusions concernant ce que signifie un test de confiance sont tirées à partir d'une analyse des précédents historiques de 1926 à 2005.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 40 , Issue 2 , June 2007 , pp. 395 - 416
Copyright
© 2007 Cambridge University Press

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