Canada's constitutional spat

The normally placid halls of Canada's Parliament were buzzing Thursday after Prime Minister Stephen Harper shut down the lawmaking body until Jan. 26, seeking to forestall a no-confidence vote he was sure to lose and, possibly, provoking a constitutional crisis.

The opposition accused Harper of threatening the country's democracy by enlisting Governor General Michaëlle Jean, who represents Queen Elizabeth as the nation's head of state, to shut down the legislature and prevent it from voting to bring down his government.