B.C. MP could hold balance of power - Action News
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British Columbia

B.C. MP could hold balance of power

The lone independent in the House of Commons – Surrey MP Chuck Cadman – could decide whether the minority Liberal government falls on Thursday afternoon.

The lone independent in the House of Commons Surrey MP Chuck Cadman could decide whether the minority Liberal government falls on Thursday afternoon.


Chuck Cadman (File photo)
Prime Minister Paul Martin is rejecting a motion by the Bloc Quebecois to amend the speech from the throne.

He says it would delegate Parliament's power over the federal treasury to the provinces. And he says he's not prepared to do that.

The NDP says it will vote with the Liberals. And the Conservatives say they will vote with the Bloc.

That means Cadman could cast the deciding vote. He says he hasn't decided how he's going to vote.

"To be perfectly truthful, I haven't made up my mind yet," says the Surrey independent. "I probably won't until I walk into the vote."

And he acknowledges he's feeling some pressure because his vote could trigger an election. "Well, it weighs, because as I said, that is a consequence. But in the end, I think people expect me to do what they sent me here to do," he says.

"Whether it brings the government down, you know, that's making an assumption that everybody is going to be in the House to vote."

Martin says he's prepared to hold an election if his government is defeated on the Bloc amendment.