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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Poilievre's in trouble ... but no one is gasping out loud quite yet. Let me tell you when they DID gasp, though (The Line)

Over the 15 or so years that I spent working out of the National Post’s Toronto newsroom, there was exactly one instance of breaking news, not counting terror attacks or significant disasters, that caused loud gasps when it happened.

It was May of 2005, and the minority Liberal government of Paul Martin was hanging on by its fingernails. A budget vote was imminent, and the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois had enough votes to bring down the government, 153-151.

Martin had called a press conference in Ottawa. And at the appointed time, he strolled out, with Conservative MP Belinda Stronach next to him.

As I say: Literal gasps. Eyes popping out cartoonishly. Holy crap, the old guy had done it.

Stronach had agreed to join to the Liberals — and gone straight into Cabinet, naturally — and save the Martin government in the process. The 152-152 tie meant the Speaker, a Liberal, could cast a decisive vote and that was that. Martin, I will always remember, had the most shit-eating grin on his face in the history of shit-eating grins. He was the cat who had swallowed all the canaries ...

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