Posted on 11/13/2005 3:17:44 PM PST by F14 Pilot
OTTAWA, Nov 13 (Reuters) - The leaders of Canada's three opposition parties met on Sunday to decide how and when to try to bring down the 16-month-old minority Liberal government and force an election, possibly as soon as next month.
Following a change in heart by the New Democratic Party, which said on Monday that it would no longer be able to support the Liberals, the heads of the three parties met in Conservative leader Stephen Harper's office in Parliament.
They kept reporters away from the meeting, but were understood to be discussing whether to bring the government down before Christmas, possibly as early as this Tuesday or Wednesday, or to try to do so in early January.
It all brought scorn from the Liberals.
"They can't have Canada live through another psycho-drama over the next few weeks. It would be totally irresponsible," Transport Minister Jean Lapierre told reporters in Montreal.
He said it was time for the opposition parties to "put up or shut up."
The Liberals still hold a slim lead in the polls but have seen their popularity damaged by the release on Nov. 1 of a report by a judicial inquiry which found an elaborate Liberal kickback scheme surrounding a government advertising program.
The Conservatives and the separatist Bloc Quebecois, the second largest party, would like to capitalize on the relative Liberal weakness and go to the polls soon but NDP leader Jack Layton has proposed trying to bring the government down in early January.
The problem is that Parliament is not scheduled to meet in January and it was not clear if the opposition parties could force the government to bring Parliament back and allow a confidence motion.
The talks ended in apparent agreement, the details of which were to be revealed in back-to-back Sunday evening news conferences by the three leaders.
Conservative Member of Parliament Gary Lunn said they would look at Layton's idea but said Harper believed the government should have been defeated six months ago.
"He still believes that this government should be defeated as soon as possible and that includes Tuesday," Lunn told the CTV network shortly before the meeting began.
The Conservatives, the largest opposition group, get to set Parliament's agenda on Tuesday and could move a confidence motion then.
Under that scenario, the vote would likely be on Wednesday, and if the government fell it would probably trigger an election campaign the following day.
The law would then require an election on Dec. 28, Jan. 3, Jan 9 or a subsequent Monday.
Three polls published over the weekend gave the Liberals a lead of 3 to 6 percentage points over the Conservatives, who have not held federal office since 1993.
If the poll results held through the election, the Liberals would likely form the government again but fail to regain their majority in Parliament.
Down with the Liberal Regime!
PING You!
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Corrupt and broken country.
Beyond repair.
Banana Republic.
yep
and Alberta! ;-)
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
I don't understand why any conservative Canadian would want anything less. It would shift the rest of Canada way the hell to the Right (perhaps far enough that they'll be back in the realm of sanity) and if Quebec wants to float down the Franco-Lefty bidet, let it. It will serve as a good example to the rest of Canada of what not to do.
They've tried that already and it was a disaster. The Liberals were in power ever since.
No welcome Alberta with open arms to the US. The canucks can have either Maine or Vermont. That way we don't have to change the flag.
The Conservatives need to win in Ontario. It is Key. The Bloc takes away votes from the Liberals in Qc given the sponsorship fiasco. The Bloc is a result of a failed attempt to ammend the constitution to accomodate Qc the last time the Conservatives were in the majority. Since then, the Bloc has inevitably drifted to the Left given that it takes it's marching orders from the Party Quebecois. The key is Ontario.
I know. The country is regionally polarized and Ontario feels that if they give the Conservatives a mandate, they believe that they will pay a price as influence inevitably flows west. The Liberals have been playing this canard for 30 years, It has worked.
Ontario voted in Mike Harris for two terms...conservative. Well, as conservative as they get up here.
All we will hear if the election comes about is that the conservatives want to join Canada up with America and join the war. They will cash in on the anti-American, anti-Bush feelings that the media has created for them.
I hold out no hope for this country going conservative...but will be more than happy to eat crow if it does!
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