The House of Commons easily passed an NDP motion calling for a federal election to be held on Feb. 13 -- but it's a motion the Liberals have already said they'll ignore.

The vote count was 167 in favour, 129 opposed.

"Naturally our hope is the prime minister will listen to Parliament and will not contribute to the democratic deficit but instead go on with the democratic expression of the elected representatives of Canadians," NDP Leader Jack Layton told reporters Monday evening.

Layton said NDP, Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois MPs represent about 63 per cent of Canadians.

However, polls have shown more than 60 per cent of Canadians say they don't want an early election.

"This does make an election inevitable, but it does give the prime minister a choice to avoid a Christmas election, if he so chooses," Conservative Leader Stephen Harper told reporters after the vote.

If the Liberals carry through on their intention to ignore the non-binding motion, the Conservatives will introduce a formal non-confidence motion on Thursday. That motion is scheduled to come to a vote on Monday, Nov. 28.

If nothing changes, the Liberal minority government will likely fall by Nov. 28 or 29.

Tony Valeri, the Liberal house leader, told reporters the motion "is not really a compromise. It's a cop-out. It's an attempt to evade responsibility for causing an election over the Christmas holidays."

The opposition can't say it has no confidence in the government but then allow the government to continue for a limited time, he said.

Prime Minister Paul Martin has said he will call an election within 30 days of the second Gomery report being tabled, "and that's his position," Valeri said.

That second report on the sponsorship scandal is expected in February. If the opposition timetable was followed, it would arrive without about two weeks left in the campaign.

Stephen Clarkson, a University of Toronto political scientist, told CTV Newsnet that Layton was being crafty in his attempt to seem reasonable.

"He's really setting himself and the Conservatives and Bloc up to have another round of outrage over Gomery," Clarkson said. "I don't think it has anything to do with the Christmas season. It has to do with timing the election after Gomery -- but not too long after."

Government business

In the meantime, the government is planning spending announcements on several fronts, including:

• Billions for a softwood lumber aid package,
• $4.6 billion for new military equipment,
• $46 million to help Daimler Chrysler with automobile research and to refurbish its Windsor, Ont. assembly plant, and
• Millions in labour agreements with the provinces.

On Wednesday, Parliament will vote on a ways-and-means-motion that will allow the government to implement some of the tax cuts proposed in its election-style fiscal update released one week ago.

Though the Tories have suggested they may vote against the money bill, its passage appears to be guaranteed with the support of the Bloc and the NDP.

Four items were passed Monday in the House of Commons with agreement from all parties. They include bills to do the following:

• Provide rebates to lower-income Canadians to help cope with rising energy coasts;
• Reverse the onus of proof for people charged with drug offences who have previously been convicted of gang-related crimes;
• Grant new options for aboriginal governments to manage oil-and-gas revenues; and
• Safeguard worker pensions when firms go bankrupt.

Although the bills have been passed in the Commons, whether they could get through the Senate and receive royal assent before the government falls is in question.

Meanwhile, there is no chance that the supplementary budget estimates, scheduled to be voted on in December, will reach the House if an election is called next week.

Among the nearly 30 initiatives included in the estimates:

• $220 million in increased Old Age Security payments and guaranteed income supplement payments;
• $600 million in gas-tax transfers to municipalities;
• $433 million for national security;
• $322 million in pay increases for the armed forces; and
• $100 million to compensate farmers for the mad cow crisis.

Valeri has said he asked his counterparts in the other parties to fast-track the estimates but they would not agree.

While it's up to Martin to set the election date, most observers anticipate voting day will be Jan. 16.