Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday won approval from the governor general to suspend Parliament until the end of January, in an attempt to avoid being defeated by oppositions in a non-confidence vote scheduled next week.

The three opposition parties had agreed to topple the government next week and replace it with a Liberal-NDP coalition supported by the Bloc Quebecois. They declared that the government has lost the confidence of the House of Commons.

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper talks with a caucus member during a meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa December 3, 2008. Harper on Thursday won approval from the governor general to suspend Parliament until the end of January, in an attempt to avoid being defeated by oppositions in a non-confidence vote scheduled next week. [Xinhua/Reuters]

Analysts say the latest development may only give the newly-elected Conservatives a reprieve until January 26, when they plan to table a budget, which would still be a confidence vote.

Emerging from a two-and-a-half hour meeting with Jean, Harper told the media that Governor General Michaelle Jean had followed his advice to temporarily suspend the parliament until January 25.

"Following my advice, the governor general has agreed to prorogue Parliament," Harper told reporters from the front steps of the governor general's residence.

He said the decision reflects the will of Canadians.

"Last Friday I asked Canadians to give us their opinion on the parliamentary situation. That feedback has been overwhelming and very clear. They want Canada's government to continue to work on the agenda they voted for – our plan to strengthen the economy."

Harper also said that when Parliament resumes, the first item on the agenda will be the presentation of the federal budget. He opened the door to co-operating with the opposition parties on the budget, saying Canadians expect all parties "to get on with it".

"It's the opportunity to work in the next six weeks on these measures, and I invite all the opposition parties, especially those that have a responsibility to the whole of Canada, to work with us, to inform us of their detailed position and we will be there to listen," Harper said in French.

The opposition parties reacted to Jean's decision immediately. Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe called Harper's actions anti-democratic and "unbecoming of a prime minister" and criticized the suspension of the current Parliament session as being aimed simply at saving "Harper's own skin."

NDP leader Jack Layton suggested his party will try to topple the government at the first opportunity by voting against the speech from the throne even before the Conservatives table the budget.

He also accused Harper of attacking democracy by using a "parliamentary trick to put the locks on the door" so Parliament members cannot express themselves.

The current political crisis was sparked last Thursday when Finance Minister Jim Flaherty presented a fiscal update that included cuts to funding for political parties, limited civil servants' right to strike and failed to offer a stimulus package to spur economic growth. The three opposition parties denounced the plan immediately and negotiated the alliance.

Harper's minority government was elected in the October 14 election, garnering 143 seats out of the 308 of the House of Commons. The three oppositions command a majority of seats in the House and can defeat the government in a confidence vote.

(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2008)