Confidence vote

As we reported in the Star last week, Liberal Caucus, Liberal leader Stephane Dion got a pretty rough ride at last Monday's meeting of the priorities and planning committee of caucus.

Almost every former leadership candidate, including heavyweights Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff, are now in favour of bringing the government down before summer. Yes, that would mean a mid-July election. Some of my colleagues and I discussed this last night on CBC Newsworld's Politics panel. Politics Panel

There is a confidence vote scheduled for Monday night. That means that Dion would have had to go through another barrage at Monday's P&P. So he's moved the meeting to Tuesday, we hear.

That probably won't end the calls for an election, however. Some caucus members were agitating for a meeting tomorrow as well, but Dion is resisting those calls too, staying instead at his cottage this weekend.

We will keep you posted if anything changes.

Sex and the Cities Minister

Infrastructure funding for city roads and the gas tax transfer to municipalities may not be the sexiest of topics, but Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, the Conservative government's Quebec point man, does indeed have a wild side.

The high profile cabinet minister, who is among those rumoured to be up for a promotion in a coming shuffle, was spotted Friday night in a Gatineau-area movie theatre to see the newly released chick flick, Sex and the City.

He may be Mr. Big in la belle province, but we couldn't help but wonder: Does he most identify with Carrie Bradshaw, the neurotic writer, Samantha Jones, the oversexed publicist, Miranda Hobbes, the cynical lawyer, or the idealistic Charlotte York-Goldenblatt?

We also couldn't help but wonder, given the government's troubles attracting female voters, whether any of the S 'n C gals would cast a ballot for the Tories.