It's definitely good news that the NDP's prorogation motion has passed in the House of Commons. But perhaps even more interesting is the lack of some of the fight that I for one fully expected to materialize from the Cons.
After all, the Cons' normal modus operandi has been to raise the greatest possible stink about imagined consequences of opposition motions or legislation, then ignore them only after they've passed. (See e.g. their cries that Pablo Rodriguez' C-288 requiring a plan to comply with Kyoto would be the end of life in Canada as we know it, followed by their complete lack of action once it actually passed.)
So consider what would have happened if the Cons had taken the same approach to a motion which at least arguably restricts the PM's ability to take advantage of what the Cons have repeatedly argued to be a constitutional power. In principle, there was probably at least some room for argument that the motion restricts the constitutional authority of the PM as framed by the Cons - meaning that it would have been entirely in keeping with their past approach for the Cons to go so far as to treat Layton's motion as a matter of confidence if they thought they could pull off their usual brinksmanship.
Instead, the Cons seem to be looking to call as little attention to the NDP's motion as possible, rather than using the opportunity to bully an opposition party into submission. And the fact that they've chosen to minimize the impact of the motion from the beginning rather than applying their usual escalation seems to signal some recognition as to just how damaging the issue of prorogation is to the Cons.
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