Opposition MPs on a Commons committee have declared the Harper government in contempt of Parliament in a historic draft motion.
But Conservative MPs ran out the clock through the scheduled 4 p.m. adjournment on the motion to keep it from passing for at least one more day.
A contempt report could set off an election on a confidence motion, if Tuesday's budget doesn't set off an election campaign first.
The budget is the central issue that the government would prefer to have an election on, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reports, but the opposition would prefer to take down the government over ethics.
There is an opposition day next Friday, which could allow for a non-confidence motion against the government. An election could come as soon as May 2.
If Thursday's opposition motion passes, the Harper government would be the first in Canadian history to be found in contempt of Parliament.
The opposition motion specifies the government's refusal to produce full cost estimates for its crime legislation and corporate tax cuts, impeding the work of Parliament. The motion is a directive to committee staff, who will produce the formal document Monday.
But while the motion finds the government in contempt, it does not specify a punishment.
The hearings will resume Friday, with the questioning of International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda on the misleading of Parliament about an altered document.
The committee has already questioned Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, who delivered their crime cost estimates Wednesday at the last minute.
Liberal finance critic Scott Brison said the ministers were misleading the committee.
"He left out many of the costs of these bills," Brison said Thursday, saying the ministers left out of many of costs associated with the crime bills.
The new documents set the price tag at $631 million for 18 crime bills, but the opposition said they weren't buying that figure.
The Harper government has constantly been at odds over its pricing of its crime bills.
The government said a bill for stiffer penalties for prisoners will cost $2-billion over five years, but Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page said the sentencing will cost more than double that, at $5 billion.
The committee hearing comes after last week's unprecedented rulings by Commons Speaker Peter Milliken.
Milliken ruled that the minority Conservatives breached parliamentary privilege by refusing to fully disclose full cost estimates for its justice agenda, corporate tax cuts, and plans to purchase stealth fighter jets.
He also ruled that Oda breached parliamentary privilege by misleading MPs about an altered government document.
