QUEBEC - Jean Charest has been forced to delay a foreign trip to avoid the possibility of his Quebec government being toppled next week.
The premier's Liberals face a non-confidence motion in the legislature next Wednesday, which they will likely win.
But the vote will be extremely close -- and Charest's plan to head to France with two of his ministers could have placed his Liberals in jeopardy.
He announced Friday that he will delay the trip until later in the week, after the vote.
The showdown illustrates how fragile Charest's once-solid majority has become.
The opposition hoped to topple his government over its refusal to call a public inquiry into all the corruption scandals that have hit the province since last year.
With only a tiny majority, and three members of the front bench in France, Charest could have lost power if a couple of rebellious backbenchers had decided to skip the vote.
The Parti Quebecois opposition hopes to pressure Liberal legislators into bailing on the premier.
PQ Leader Pauline Marois urges them to listen to constituents when they head to their ridings this weekend; there is widespread public disgust over recent corruption scandals and near-universal demand for an inquiry.
But Charest attempted Friday to turn the tables on his opponent.
He blames the opposition for keeping the government from conducting its business.
Charest noted that the tradition of annual exchanges between France and Quebec premiers was established in 1976 under Marois' PQ predecessor, Rene Levesque.
"This tradition has greatly contributed to the development of relations between Quebec and France," Charest said in a statement.
"I find it deplorable that the Pequiste opposition chose to table a censure motion at the exact moment this important mission was to take place.
"As a result, I will delay my departure. . . I consider it important that I be able not just to vote, but also to participate in the debate."
