University of Toronto political science professor Stephen Clarkson said he feels the Liberals have been floundering since they were elected as a minority government last June and now, the onus will be on Prime Minister Paul Martin to "deliver."
The government will have to produce on a flurry of pre-election style announcements, including numerous day-care agreements with the provinces and the Atlantic Accord with Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr. Clarkson said if the budget vote passes, the Liberals will "have to be seen delivering the goodies."
Parliamentary process has also been hijacked by the political manoeuvring on Parliament Hill over the last month, as the Conservatives have pushed hard for a no-confidence motion to try to defeat the government and force an election.
Mr. Clarkson noted that the Liberals seemed to have regained some of their "political smarts” over the past few weeks by allegedly courting a number of Tory MPs to their benches and by unexpectedly gaining prominent Ontario MP Belinda Stronach just Wednesday.
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