André Arthur

What happened today may be an admission of defeat on the part of the 40th Parliament

This evening the House of Commons unanimously passed a motion censuring expressing its profound sadness at this magazine. The following is the submitted text of that motion.

Messrs Ignatieff and Layton are promising that all of their respective sides will be in attendance for the vote on C-391 that is now expected to take place at about 5:45pm. Independent MP Andre Arthur stood before QP and informed the House that he remained opposed to the long-gun registry. Liberal MP Scott Simms, who had been the subject of some speculation this morning, is expected to vote against C-391. Postmedia’s Janice Tibbetts has the NDP’s Niki Ashton still in favour of C-391.

Liberals Siobhan Coady and Martha Hall Findlay and New Democrat Peter Stoffer say the auditor general should be invited to review MP expenses—joining Gilles Duceppe and the aforementioned Michelle Simson on that side of the debate.

Going into the election, André Arthur’s seat in Portneuf-Jacques-Cartier seemed as safe as anyone’s. The former shock jock turned independent MP walloped the riding’s Bloc incumbent in 2006, winning by a 7,000-vote majority. Somehow, that lead shrunk to some 600 votes on October 14. Arthur was none too happy about it when I spoke to him last week, nor was he impressed with the Conservatives’ showing in Quebec:

This is probably my favourite news item of the day so far: Heritage Minister Josée Verner doesn’t vote Conservative.