Harper vows to take down Liberals

AMHERSTBURG, Ont. -- Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper vowed Wednesday to topple the fragile Liberal government "at the earliest opportunity" as he fumed about Paul Martin's "deal with the devil" -- a $4.6-billion budget agreement with the New Democrats.

Harper called Martin's willingness to accede to the NDP's demand to remove billions of dollars in corporate tax cuts from the federal budget the "most disgraceful thing" he'd ever seen as he tried to pin the blame for a snap election on the Liberal-NDP alliance.

"The prime minister went so far as to say that this arrangement in this particular episode shows that this Parliament works," Harper said during a luncheon speech in Amherstburg, a short drive south of Windsor, Ont.

"This is not how Parliament should work. As soon as we get back, I will be asking our caucus to put this government out of its misery at the earliest possible opportunity."

That could be as early as May 4, according to Conservative insiders who say that's the earliest date that a no-confidence motion that's currently before the public works committee could be brought before the House of Commons for a vote.

At an earlier stop in Ridgetown, Ont., Harper said the "fiscally irresponsible" deal to delay corporate tax cuts and siphon the $4.6-billion proceeds into social programs over the next two years was a sign the government is "seriously off the rails."

Harper said it would be impossible for Conservatives to support the budget, which favours NDP priorities and props up a government teetering on the brink of collapse from explosive allegations emerging daily from the Gomery inquiry into the federal sponsorship scandal.

In exchange for the changes to the budget, Layton has agreed to support the government in its effort to get the budget passed and in any no-confidence motions the Liberals face before the budget bill receives royal assent.

"We already have enough problems with Liberal corruption," Harper said. "Having an NDP budget is not going to make us support Liberal corruption."

But in an interview Wednesday with The Canadian Press, Martin said he intends to use a separate piece of legislation to push ahead with the tax cuts that were excised from the budget, provided the Conservatives are willing to support the move.

Planned cuts for small- and medium-sized businesses remain intact under the agreement, which calls for $4.6 billion in new investment over two years for the environment, affordable housing, foreign aid, and post-secondary education and training.

Speaking in Montreal, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe also slammed the proposed budget changes and said he doesn't intend to support them.

"What's good for Quebec, we'll support," Duceppe said. "What's bad for Quebec, we'll oppose. The Layton-Martin agreement is not good for Quebec. It's not a good budget for Quebec."

During his own election-style tour of southwestern Ontario, Layton said seeking the deal was an act of conscience and that voters will cast judgment on his actions when they go to the polls.

"I understand the criticism, and not everybody's going to like what we're doing; that's life, that's why we have a democracy. People will execute their judgment on voting day," Layton told students during a question-and-answer session.

"I couldn't sleep at night if I knew that I had the chance to help some people get off the street and I didn't take it because I wanted the political advantage. I couldn't sleep at night."

Recent polls suggest Canadians do not want an election so soon after last spring's campaign, which has the leaders frantically passing the political hot potato of who will be to blame for touching off a spring campaign.

The Tories and Bloc are widely expected to try to bring down the government next month by voting against the budget or provoking another kind of non-confidence vote.

The Liberals would need all their 131 votes, the NDP's 19, and possibly those of all three independents, allowing the Liberal Speaker to cast the deciding ballot to bring the tally to 154.

I wasn't around to put Trudeau in power and I do not refer to people in the West as a bunch of rednecks. Quite possibly Alliance and Reform people in the West are quite worthy. However, they (and you) do not wish to reach to us here in the East, to your and their chagrin and the continuing rule of Liberals. Which is indeed not good for the country. However, you are above bridging the gaps by means other that blow jobs and therefore, unfortunately, Liberals will win again.

You know, this comment is typical for a secret society and not a political party. Secret societies do not win democratic elections.

What kind of conservative views do you look for? Same-sex marriages only? How about fiscal responsibility, low taxes, strong economy, personal liberties, less government, smaller and more efficient government spending, less socialism and false political correctness? Any champions of these conservative values?

Reach you? Hell all our money goes to you - propping up the auto industry, subsidies here and there. Canada revolves around you guys. About time you pay attention to us here. We have bent over backwards trying to reach Ontario - even watering down our conservative values - to reach you voters. But every time you fall for Liberal fear mongering. We don't even want you money - unlike the welfare Atlantic provinces - we just want your respect. As soon as you feel the West may actually have a voice, Ontario turns against us. So what do you want from us? More bribes? Bail out Air Canada? Pass the Daycare Program so that we pay to babysit your children? Kiss your children on the election trail. Harper spent the lion's share of his time last election in Ontario.

Do not be angry at us, you do have a voice, and a strong one. I think it is very positive that Klein started pushing some Health Care reform and kudos to you for that. I have named some conservative values, and you have agreed with them. Lots of people here in Ontario would vote for them. Instead, we hear all the same, same-sex, abortion, adscam, gun registry, same sex, one man and one woman, abortion, adscam... This is not a positive program. What the CP proposes instead? We do not know, and people do not want to be dragged into elections over same-sex issues which are irrelevant to the great majority of them. And local CP members are so obsessed with same-sex marriages they cannot think of anything else. Who would vote for them?

Anyway, take care over there. We do value your Western guys a lot. It's nice to have you there, and to argue and find common values.

Heh, thanks for your patience. Most Ontarions have enough of me by the second post :)

My beef is more with the established parties of Canada, particularly the Liberals, but the PC was little better. After all Mulroney had no business stirring the hornet’s net of separatism. Separatism was dead, but Mulroney needed to stick his fingers in it. Then Charest went way left of centre.

The Liberals somehow just don’t get it. They seem to believe they can bribe or spank the provinces into submission. For instance, Martin made a lot of crow of including the West. But his party seems to think like typical liberals (like Kerry and his gang). It’s enough to talk about how wonderful things will be. But its as if they cannot help themselves but to continue to screw us. Their action does not support the rhetoric. At least I find it insulting that Nova Scotia has managed offshore for eons, but us hicks in BC cannot be trusted to do the same. I emailed a talk show here in Victoria when David Anderson was on accusing the Liberals of not doing a damn thing about softwood. His response was to retrain foresters. Great. So let’s just abandon BC’s number one industry and train airplane pilots or something.

What we want is less of them. We, at least Western conservatives, don’t want bribes, don’t want federally run daycare. We just want the Liberals to stop wasting our money. And to let us have the economic freedoms enjoyed by Ontario. For instance, Wheat Boards control the wheat trade in the prairies, but Ontario farmers are free to sell into the US free market.

Look here for a good example of what I mean. Ms Blizzard is close to our provincial CP. Everything is right, but... Ms Blizzard conveniently forgets that after NDP there were Tories here. The Tories had cut spending down to bare bones and seriously hurt lots of people in the process. Yet they left after them a huge budget deficit and lied repeatedly denying that the deficit did exist. You would not read about this in Ms. Blizzard's columns. I do worry about spending and deficit, more than Ms. Blizzard thinks, especially when I look at my tax return. Do you think I should be convinced that Tories will handle economy better than Liberals? What I see now is that both Tories and NDP had left this province in deep red and Liberals are doing more or less decent job trying to get situation under control.

So I think you're right, none of them is any good, and I cannot embrace Greens until they become a real party and develop sound positions not only on environmental issues.

What we want is less of them

Yes, everybody's dream. And for less taxes. No champions of these values among federal parties, I do not see, not a single one. Too bad.

I don't know. I know that corporate welfare has gone up 8 times under the Liberals and the CP wants to end it. Savings there. I really don't care if people get hurt if the result is spending cuts. The more the better. The problem with the people is they want government to solve all their issues. If our pioneers thought this way they would all still be sitting on the other side of a river in Quebec right now. The only reason the Liberals don't have a deficit is they gutted healthcare spending. They send hardly anything back to the provinces now.

In my world, government's number one priority would be infrastructure, then defense. Not art. Patrons can take care of artists. Not bringing cable to eskimos. People will not die not having high speed internet. Not government run daycare. Working families can pay to babysit their own kids.

The Liberals have already showed their true communist colours by finding common cause with the Bolsheviks.

"Excuse me? Bush neo-cons are the biggest spenders in all history. Bush has been far less fiscally conservative than Clinton. The two presidents are not even in the same ballpark."

Bush neo-cons? lolol. Can you name a few, please?

You're right about Bush and Clinton not being in the same league, though, but prob not in the way you mean, troll.

Well, in this context my answer would make things too personal. Let's say I did not mean anybody in particular and there certainly are worthy CP candidates. Like this one.

Edmonton MP Jason Kenney said Thursday he would understand if voters complain they've heard it all before.

"We have to demonstrate that we have a plan of action, that we're going to try to change the system.

"It's not good enough for us to say 'Throw the bums out, we'll be better'.

That's exactly what I mean. The link is here

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