These are interesting times in Ottawa. And troubling. Any ordinary Joe can see Paul Martin and his minority Liberal government are desperately clinging to power.
Two Joes from London are seeing it all firsthand: Joe Preston, the rookie Conservative from Elgin-
Middlesex-London and Joe Fontana, the veteran Liberal who represents London-North-Centre.
From entirely different perspectives, the two members of Parliament are witnessing what may be the death throes of a government.
Martin and his Liberals are trying to buy time, arguing it's too soon to rush to judgment over the sponsorship scandal. Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are champing at the bit, anxious to bring down a government they say has ties to corruption.
Their footsoldiers on the ground locally, the two Joes, also disagree.
Preston is the gregarious newcomer who says he's been having the time of his life these past 10 months in Ottawa.
On Monday, Preston was seated in the House of Commons shortly before 6 p.m. His desk-mate, Conservative MP Ken Epp, who represents Edmonton-Sherwood Park, was addressing the House as it considered changes to the Canada Wheat Board. He recalled, "In the middle of a sentence, Ken had said 'my brother farms,' and (government House leader Tony) Valeri stands up and says 'Point of order, Mister Speaker, point of order,' and Ken just looked at me and said 'What's this?' "
Valeri announced the government was cancelling an "opposition day" that had been set aside for the Conservatives on Wednesday. He then left the House. Preston and Epp scratched their heads and only later realized the Liberals, fearful the opposition might pull the plug on the government, was denying them the opportunity -- for now.
By tradition, the government sets aside one day each week for opposition parties to raise issues they want. Valeri argued he had just learned the opposition parties were trying to undermine his prerogative by scheduling further opposition days calculated to bring down the government in mid-May.
Preston says he's "perturbed" by Valeri's action.
"All of a sudden, the democratic voice is not being heard. We've been told what the opposition has to say in the way of motions is no longer important . . . only the Liberals can be heard. I think it creates a darkness. Remember the democratic deficit Paul Martin was going to clean up? It deepened."
Preston said he doesn't like being shut down. "I came here to speak. Specifically on issues that pertain to myself, my party and my constituents . . . I don't want to use the term dictatorship, but we've become a one-sided house. If only one side can speak, what is that saying?"
Fontana, the veteran, has a different perspective. He defended Valeri's move to shut down opposition days for now. He argues it was necessary to curb the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois, who wanted to take control of opposition days away from the government.
"They tried to hijack the system, they tried to play politics," charged Fontana, whose 17 years in Ottawa were only recently rewarded with the cabinet portfolio of labour and housing. He accused the opposition of attempting an "underhanded, sneaky sort of motion" in which they could have timed a non-confidence vote to their liking.
"It's not a question of whether they will get their opposition dates," Fontana said, "it's question of when . . . We were given a mandate to govern and that's what we are going to do, govern. They want to play games and force an election."
Valeri, Fontana said, was trying to defend the workings of Parlia-ment and the integrity of the government from opposition parties that would "trash" both.
Fontana, like his leader, said the opposition and the Canadian public should await the results of the Gomery inquiry into the federal sponsorship scandal before demanding an election.
For his part, Preston echoes his leader when he says if Canadians want an election, the Conservatives will oblige. He and all other MPs will be home this coming week for local riding work and he'll be listening carefully to his constituents.
But he has already learned "people are mad as hell" at the Liberals.
Preston said listening to constituents will be "crucial" in helping his party determine whether the time has come to pull the plug on the Liberals.
Two Joes. Two views.
It remains a mystery, however, in this game of politics that's been played out for many years on Parliament Hill, why the opposition must rely on the goodwill of the government to let them have their say.
And when that "say" is abruptly snatched away by a government alleging tricks are up and plots are being hatched by its critics, it's easy to wonder who is actually tricking whom.
Voters won't be fooled by any of this.