It seems almost certain the Bloc will not be able to support the throne speech. The Conservatives will not support Kyoto nor will they undertake to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2009. The question now is whether the Liberals and NDP will also vote against the speech. The NDP might as well force an election now after doing well in
Quebec. It will be interesting to see how they do in Ontario.
Dion might be well off to fight an election campaign now before things get worse for him. He has always been underestimated and that may be the case now. The Bloc seems to be fading somewhat but at least Duceppe does not seem to fear an election.
Bloc to outline demands for supporting throne speech
Last Updated: Saturday, September 22, 2007 | 9:41 AM ET
CBC News
Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe is set to outline five conditions he says the federal government must accept if it wants his party's support for the Oct. 16 throne speech.
In a speech obtained by the Canadian Press and to be delivered to Bloc members Saturday in Rimouski, Que., Duceppe concedes that he has taken a hardline position that increases the possibility of a general election this fall.
Duceppe is said to be seeking a clear commitment that Canadian soldiers will leave Afghanistan when the mission ends in February 2009.
The NDP has long been demanding the withdrawal of Canadian soldiers from Afghanistan. On Friday, NDP Leader Jack Layton said his party will wait to hear the throne speech before deciding how to vote.
The Bloc's other conditions for supporting the throne speech kicking off a new session of Parliament call for:
The elimination of all federal spending powers in provincial jurisdictions.
The government to respect the Kyoto Protocol.
The continuation of supply management in the agriculture sector.
Promises to help Quebec's battered forestry industry.
The Bloc leader's comments are to be made two days after Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, the Conservatives' Quebec lieutenant, told reporters that Duceppe is "not useful" in Ottawa.
Cannon also said Duceppe's party, founded to promote Quebec sovereignty, doesn't play a "vital role" and hasn't "delivered anything" for the province.
The pressure will be on the Liberals or the NDP to support the Conservatives if they don't want the government to lose the vote on the throne speech.
Since the Tories were elected in January 2006, the Bloc has helped the minority government survive three confidence votes, including two on federal budgets.
Last Monday, the Conservatives won one of three byelections in Quebec, capturing a Bloc stronghold. The Bloc also won a riding, but by a much smaller margin than expected, while the Conservatives were close behind.
Current standings in the 308-seat Commons are: Conservatives 126; Liberals 96; Bloc 49, NDP 30; three Independents and four vacancies.
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The NDP doing well in Quebec? Well, its victory in the Montrealer riding of Outremont was quite convincing (a score of more than 47%) mostly because of its star-candidate Thomas Mulcair. However, outside of Montreal, the fight is mostly between the Bloc and the Tories.
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