Chuck Cadman, an independent MP from Surrey, B.C., says constituents and public opinion polls are backing up his personal view in favour of waiting for Mr. Justice John Gomery to issue his final report before deciding on the fate of the Liberal government.

Cadman could be casting the critical vote should the Conservatives put forward a non-confidence motion in the Liberal minority government.

"It's not because I'm particularly thrilled with what the government is doing," Cadman told CTV's Question Period Sunday. "It comes down to people having enough information to make an informed decision on whether they want to actually go to the polls."

A former Reform and Alliance MP, Cadman would be voting against his former colleagues who are now in the Conservative Party.

Cadman had hoped to run for the Conservatives in 2004, but lost the nomination to a parachute candidate. He ran as an independent, and voters in Surrey North returned him to Parliament for a third time.

The Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois, who are threatening to bring down the government, have 153 seats between them.

The Liberals and the NDP have 150. If all opposition MPs voted for a non-confidence motion, the government would need Cadman and two other independent MPs to force a tie. Then the Speaker of the House -- a Liberal -- would then cast the deciding ballot.

The two other independents are both former Liberals: Ontario MP Carolyn Parrish said last week she'll support the government. Alberta MP David Kilgour has not indicated his intentions.

Aside from the numbers in the House of Commons, all parties have been studying the public opinion polls. Four different polls taken in the past week show Conservative support has slipped in recent days, while the Liberals are bouncing back after an initial drop due to revelations from the sponsorship inquiry.

The numbers may be cause for concern for Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, even though he's promising to topple the government regardless.

The polls, say Strategic Counsel's Allan Gregg, indicate that Conservatives can't sustain the corruption issue indefinitely.

"If that's all Stephen Harper has to run on, it's not enough to get him over the top," Gregg said on Question Period.