Following he vote Harper met briefly with reporters to announce that he will be meeting with the Governor General on Saturday "to inform him of the situation and to take the only course of action that remains." That "situation" is to dissolve Parliament and call an election.
Harper suggested that the opposition acted irresponsibly, pointing to the budget presented on Tuesday, which he said presents a plan for Canada's economic recovery.
"The budget presented this week by the minister of finance, the next phase of Canada's economic Action Plan, is critically important," Harper said.
"There's nothing — nothing — in the budget that the opposition could not or should not have supported. Unfortunately Mr. Ignatieff and his coalition partners, the NDP and the Bloc, had already decided they wanted to force an election instead," Harper said.
While Harper made the budget an issue the vote had nothing to do with the fiscal document, although the opposition had also served notice that it would vote down the budget and topple the government.
It was a confidence issue.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff called the vote "an historic moment in our democracy...with a prime minister condemned by the chamber for contempt." He promised that the campaign to come will see a change of government.
"We'll present an appeal to Canadians who don't just want to restrain him but replace him," Ignatieff said in reference to the campaign.
Ignatieff ducked the question of whether he would be prepared for a coalition with the New Democrats (NDP), saying that the Liberals will present themselves as an alternative government.
"If you vote for the NDP, if you vote for the Bloc (Quebecois), if you vote for the Greens, you will get...more contempt for democracy, more neglect of the priorities of Canadian families."
This is the first such a vote involving a majority of MPs who believed the government was in contempt of Parliament and only the fourth time that a government has fallen on a confidence motion.
The vote was triggered by a report of the House of Commons, Procedure and House Affairs Committee that found the Conservative led government in contempt of Parliament emanating from obstruction and secrecy perpetrated by the Harper Conservatives.
Harper finds himselef with a commanding lead in the polls at 43 per cent with the Liberals well behind at 24 per cent. It could mean that he could very well get his majority on election day.
For Ignatieff it would be more than an uphill struggle to unseat the Conservatives. However, Canadians might buy the idea of a coaltion if he decides to team up with the NDP and fight Harper in what would essentially be a two way race.
For full coverage please visit cbc.ca
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