Well now we have this:OTTAWA - The Conservative government says an incendiary plan to strip political parties of their public financing won't be included in a confidence vote on the fall fiscal update.
Government sources say only tax measures will be part of the ways and means motion that parliamentarians will vote upon on Monday.
It's a sharp reversal for the minority government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
When the fiscal update was delivered on Thursday, government officials and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty expressly stated the party financing measures would be considered matters of confidence.
But with the Liberals and New Democrats in deep discussions about a potential coalition government should the Tories be defeated, the Conservatives are pulling back.
The party financing measures would effectively gut the opposition parties, who are far more dependent on public subsidies than is the Conservative party.
So is this going to be enough to keep the opposition from going ahead with the plans they seem to be making? Somehow I don't think so.
I wonder what kind of an earful Harper has been hearing? Come to think of it, he's likely blamed someone else.
15 comments:
Not good enough. The parts about suspending labour rights are still in the ways and means motion. The government has to be defeated.
I kind of liked the sound of the Conservatives being on the brink of collapse. ;)
Kick the bums out. This is about the economy, and the Conservatives have clearly shown that they either don't know how to deal with a crisis without trampling on Canadians' rights, or will play partisan games at every opportunity, consequences be damned. At least until the end of the fiscal year, progressives need to work together and get the job done.
I sure hope the opposition parties stick to their guns and get some other issues changed in the fiscal update, otherwise they will make sure they look bad.....use the entitlements stuff.
Besides, I want Harper out, now!
Blast...I would agree.
RT, it does have a rather melodious ring, doesn't it?
Imagine the panic in that caucus? I wonder if any of them have the courage to confront Harper on his stupidity? I somehow doubt it.
Jerad: progressives need to work together and get the job done.
As much as I abhor that phrase, (because the Conservatives insert it at every opportunity) I hear what you are saying.
Sandi, I think it's pretty unlikely that the opposition will back down over this small change. It would be a ridiculous response given all that has been said.
Kory Teneycke (sp?), is now saying that the formation of a coalition is undemocratic.
Ha! How's that for irony?
Undemocratic? Hey Tory Corn Cob Bob - it's part of our democracy.
Just think - the US couldn't get rid of Bush until an election.
62% of Canadians voted for "other than" the CPC - and these MP's have been voted in to represent their constituencies, not Harper's.
Harper has shown that he is not a serious man. Of course, given how utterly spineless the Liberals have been, he'll get away with this rubbish yet again. Just you watch.
Ironically, Kory is using language like, 'forcing a PM on Canadians that was not elected and only received x% of the vote', blah, blah, blah.
Watching QP and listening to Kory, I've noticed that the Bloc are now referred to as the Separtists and the NDP as the Socialists.
They haven't found anything really catchy for the Lib's except for the hoary old Republican line of, 'tax and spend Liberals'.
I don't think so anon. If they actually change their plan, well then it's possible that it will be supported, but I don't see it otherwise.
That said, the negotiations could unravel meaning that the NDP ask for too much and the Lib's are unwilling to compromise, etc.
knb: For once, though, we're in a situation where the Liberals are extraordinarily weak on their own, as weak as they've been since Confederation. Given the Grits' financial problems, I would imagine they will bend pretty far to be able to govern without having to spend millions of dollars on an election first.
Jerad, I'm with you.
I just momentarily flashed on some of the ego's involved and thought that had the potential to get in the way.
I'll wipe that thought right out of my mind!
Testing, testing ;)
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