I think that Canadians do already realise the corruption evident in the sponsorship scandel. Martin, however, is known not to have been particularly in tune with Chretien and the ruling clique of the Liberal Party when the scandel was in play. For that reason, I think Canadians have partly divorced him from responsibility for the scandel. Whether that divorce is justified or not I don't know.

The other factor is, who would replace Martin as Prime Miniter? I do not see that Harper has displayed much to encourage voters to choose him, and the Conservative Party leader is the only viable alternative to Martin at the moment.

As I see it, and I don't think my perceptions are much different than many Canadians, after agreeing to support the budget Harper saw an opportunity to become Prime Minister by bringing down the Liberal Government. He reneged on his promise of support despite the clear desire of most Canadians to wait for a while to see how things developed. His demeanor and actions came across as drooling at the mouth at the prospect of being top dog, and it did not go down well.

Personally I think Harper should be replaced with someone who is more moderate and less focused on their own personal career goals, but at the very least the Conservative Party should step back and wait for the people of Canada to let them know when is the proper time, and not make serious and costly decisions for purely personal advantage.