I always said the Ukrainians were smart. Wait till the sales before exchanging gifts. ;) Cheers from the Ukrainian belt in Eastern Sask. :D

Alberta and Manitoba also have a drinking age of 18. I know this having grown up in the latter.

Not quite correct. If a bill fails to pass and IF the bill is a confidence vote then the government is dissolved. Not all bills are confidence votes. A budget is ALWAYS a confidence vote for example but not every bill is declared confidence. Also individual MP's are allowed to vote their conscience in some instances. You are not always forced to vote with the party. As for the liberals not allowing the gov to fall and so going along with the Conservatives just to avoid it, historically we the Canadian people vote against a party who has too many elections in a short period of time. In this case, it would be the conservatives since they would force it into a vote of confidence not knowing they would win it hands down. Only the party in power can declare a confidence vote.