Prime Minister Paul Martin survived a confidence motion by a single vote Thursday, allowing him to retain power and easing one of Canada's most dramatic political standoffs in decades. The House of Commons split 152-152 on the measure that served as a confidence motion and it took a vote by the parliament speaker to give the minority government its one-vote victory. "The margin of tonight's vote is very narrow — indeed that is an understatement," said Martin. "We must now move forward in a spirit of cooperation. We ask the opposition to join with us in a renewed effort to make this Parliament work for the people of Canada," he said.