Canada's Conservative government survived a confidence vote Monday as parliament voted in favor of a government bill that contains controversial changes to the country's immigration law.
Bill C-50, the 2008 budget implementation act, was passed by a vote of 121 to 90 in the House of Commons.
Budget bills in Canada are confidence votes, meaning the government will have to step down if they fail to pass.
The bill contains amendments to immigration law, which the government says are necessary but are opposed by opposition parties.
The amendments will give the immigration minister greater selection powers to limit the number of new immigration applicants.
It will also allow the government to fast-track applications from the types of immigrants it wants, such as skilled workers, and freeze applications from others.
The government has argued that the measures are necessary to reduce a backlog of more than 900,000 immigration applicants, which has created waiting times of between three and six years for even those who meet all the requirements.
But critics have warned that the changes will lead to an erosion of the rule of law. It will also place legislative power in the hands of the immigration minister without parliamentary oversight or stakeholder input, they say.
Among the three opposition parties, the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois voted against the bill. Although the biggest opposition the Liberal Party opposed the bill, most members abstained from voting as the party does not want an election right now.
Reluctant to face an election with opinion polls showing a lack of enthusiasm for his leadership, Liberal leader Stephane Dion and his party have been abstaining or not showing up for key parliamentary votes for months.
Source:Xinhua
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