OTTAWA - The Conservatives breezed through the first vote on their throne speech Thursday as a Bloc Quebecois motion was soundly defeated.
The Liberals and NDP joined with the governing Tories to vote down the Bloc sub-amendment 240-48.
The sub-amendment - to a Liberal amendment - seemed designed to antagonize other parties and was doomed to fail. It blamed the Conservative government and the previous Liberal one for failing to fight climate change.
It also demanded an end to Ottawa's spending power in areas controlled by the provinces, and called for concrete measures to help workers affected by Quebec's forestry crisis.
The lack of drama in the House of Commons on Thursday was in stark contrast to the previous day when it appeared the minority government might be in danger of falling - until the Liberals announced they would let the throne speech pass.
The speech declared that Canada will not meet its Kyoto targets and suggests Canadian troops should continue their current Afghanistan mission until 2011.
Both those elements contradict the policies of all opposition parties and could have been enough to trigger an election - except for the fact that the weakened Liberals aren't ready to fight a campaign.
The throne speech also promised tax cuts and a new omnibus crime bill that was introduced in the House of Commons on Thursday.
The wide margin of defeat for the Bloc motion wasn't the only reason for the anti-climactic atmosphere. The Tories announced before the vote that they wouldn't consider the sub-amendment as a test of confidence.
The policy-setting throne speech will face two more key votes next week: on a Liberal amendment and then on the speech itself.
The Liberal decision not to oppose the speech has prompted ridicule from the NDP, who accuse the Grits of capitulating to the Conservative agenda.
