For the last month few months, Canada has been embroiled in a political conflict with potentially far-reaching ramifications. The ruling Liberal Party stands accused of accepting bribes in exchange for doling out lucrative advertising contracts. Although no formal charges have been brought, many politicians have lobbied aggressively for a recall election of some kind. The action reached a climax last week, when it was expected the House of Commons would vote "no confidence" in the liberals. At the last minute, a prominent conservative switched parties, and was suspiciously awarded a cabinet position. The upshot is the Liberal Party will remain in power, but conservatives remain undeterred in their push for a change in power. However, this defeat has dealt a serious blow to their campaign. The Wall Street Journal reports:

[A conservative] said she had been troubled by Mr. Harper’s strategy of trying to force a snap election by allying with the bloc Quebecois, which advocates independence for French-speaking Quebec province.

Read More: Canada’s Liberal Government Survives vote