Parliament votes down Canadian government

OTTAWA, March 25 (UPI) -- Canada's minority Conservative government was brought down by 11 votes Friday in a non-confidence vote by three opposition parties, forcing an election.

The 156-145 vote was based on claims the Conservatives had showed contempt of Parliament based on several issues alleged to be secretive by a parliamentary committee within the last two weeks.

The Liberals, socialist New Democratic Party and separatist Bloc Quebecois defeated the country's 40th Parliament. The House was adjourned immediately after the vote.

The move was expected all week as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's party only has 143 of the 308 seats and would have required the support of at least one of the other parties after the budget was released Tuesday. Sight unseen, all three parties said they would vote it down.

The budget wasn't due for a vote until next week, while the contempt motion came up Friday.

Soon after the vote, Harper held a news conference in the House, telling media he wouldn't take questions.

"Today's vote, which of course is a disappointment to me, will, I suspect, disappoint Canadians," Harper said.

Soon after, in his own news conference, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff criticized Harper's refusal to take questions. He also apparently turned his back on fellow opposition parties minutes after they helped bring down the government.

"If you vote for the NDP, if you vote for the Bloc and if you vote for the Greens, you'll get more of this -- more contempt for democracy, more neglect of the priorities of Canadian families," the Liberal leader said.

The fall of the government was so widely expected, the Globe & Mail reported before the vote, the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP had announced campaign itineraries for Saturday.