Canadian premier faces ouster in wake of scandal

TORONTO — Opposition parties introduced a no-confidence motion Thursday that is expected to topple Prime Minister Paul Martin's government and force a parliamentary election campaign during the Christmas holidays.

Canada's three opposition party leaders said their members would vote in Parliament on Monday to bring down Martin's minority government, claiming his Liberal Party no longer has the moral authority to lead the nation because of a corruption scandal.

Opposition leaders forced the no-confidence vote after Martin rejected their demands to dissolve Parliament in January and hold early elections in February. The widely expected move followed a frantic week in Ottawa, with the government making a cascade of policy announcements before its looming demise.

Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper said his party would join with the New Democratic and Bloc Quebecois parties to bring down the government — forcing the first Christmas campaigning in 26 years. The elections will likely be in January.

"This House has lost confidence in the government," Harper said.

Recent polls have given the Liberals a slight lead over the Conservatives, with the New Democrats in third place.

The same surveys suggest the Bloc Quebecois would sweep the French-speaking province of Quebec, making a majority government unlikely no matter which party wins the most seats in the 308-member House of Commons.

The opposition is banking on the public's disgust with the corruption scandal.

An initial investigative report absolved Martin of wrongdoing but accused senior Liberal members of taking kickbacks and misspending tens of millions of dollars in public funds targeted for a national unity program in Quebec.

The government ran into peril when it lost the support of the New Democratic Party, whose support earlier this year helped Martin escape a previous no-confidence motion by a single vote.

New Democrat leader Jack Layton said he hadn't received enough assurance the Liberal Party would fight the increased use of private health care in Canada. Martin made the deal for support from Layton's leftist party last spring by pledging $3.6 billion in social spending and a promise to delay billions in corporate tax cuts.

Martin appears prepared to take his chances with a holiday campaign and blame his opponents for any inconvenience to the predominantly Christian electorate.