No reason for confidence

In case the likelihood of the Cons abusing confidence motions once again if their budget passes wasn't obvious enough from this afternoon's post, the Cons are now explicitly declaring their refusal to close the door on a repeat of the move:

The official said the government "reserves the right" to determine what constitutes a confidence matter. But he indicated that the government's fate is unlikely to turn on "secondary" matters not directly related to the economy.

Much like John Ivison's column mentioned in the earlier post, Joan Bryden's article attempts to paint the statement as evidence of the Cons not declaring frivolous confidence votes. But the official's statement can equally be interpreted to suggest that the Cons fully expect to make use of their same old tactics, with the Libs once again lacking the backbone to bring down Harper over "secondary" matters after giving in on the budget. And we're surely far past the point where the Cons could receive the benefit of any doubt as to their willingness to put political attacks first.