[LINK] "Hearings could trigger contempt charge against Harper government, Oda"

[rfmcdonald]

A brief Canadian Press article, this. This may not trigger an election, if only because the Conservatives' opposition is so fragmented and ineffectual as to want to avoid a Conservative majority government. But then, maybe the Conservatives might want it for just that reason.

Hearings have kicked off into whether the Harper government and a cabinet minister are in contempt of Parliament.

The politically charged Commons committee hearings come as all parties prepare for an election that could be triggered as early as next week — either over Tuesday’s budget or a Liberal confidence motion.

The hearings follow last week’s unprecedented double rebuke of the minority Conservative government by the Speaker of the Commons.

Peter Milliken ruled that the government breached parliamentary privilege by refusing to fully disclose cost estimates for its tough-on-crime agenda, corporate tax cuts and plans to purchase stealth fighter jets.

He also ruled that International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda breached parliamentary privilege by misleading MPs about an altered government document.

The Commons procedure and House affairs committee is holding three days of hearings on whether to uphold Milliken’s ruling and to decide what, if any, sanctions to impose.