Always some other excuse than the real one: the Liberals are not high enough in the polls. The Liberals are becoming beyond ridiculous. They are fortunate that the Conservatives are beyond believing as well.
Easter not the right time to bring down government, Liberals say
BILL CURRY
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
March 11, 2008 at 10:53 PM EDT
OTTAWA — Liberals cited the coming Easter weekend for not defeating the government this week in a budget showdown over education savings tax breaks — but vowed a spring election could soon follow.
The House of Commons is expected to vote as early as tomorrow on a budget motion that includes a new clause aimed at embarrassing the Liberals. The clause effectively erases a Liberal bill passed last week by a united opposition that would make payments to Registered Education Savings Plans tax deductible.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the Liberal plan risks a deficit and had to be stopped.
"It's up to me as Finance Minister, on behalf of the government, to maintain the integrity of the budget plan," he said.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tables a motion in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)
Liberal finance critic John McCallum yesterday cited Easter as a key reason why his party won't trigger an election this week, meaning Liberals will once again face taunts and jeers from their opponents in the House as they abstain in large numbers on a confidence vote.
"I think our position is very clear," Mr. McCallum told reporters yesterday shortly after Mr. Flaherty tabled his motion. "We have said we won't bring the government down this week, before Easter. But when the Budget Implementation Bill goes to committee, that could be April, May … we will certainly consider our options at that time."
The senior Liberal acknowledged publicly yesterday what several Liberals have been saying privately: the current strategy of mass abstentions on key votes is not sitting well.
"I think a number of Liberals do feel uncomfortable in the position that we're in but we're playing for the longer term," he said. "I think we are accepting the leadership of our leader and we are happily but slightly uncomfortably voting the way we have been voting."
Just two weeks after dodging an election over the federal budget, Liberal MPs head behind closed doors this morning to debate whether the education savings issue changes the party's election plans.
When the budget was first released, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion declared he would let it pass because Canadians don't want an election. But several Liberal caucus members said yesterday they are revising their plans in light of Mr. Flaherty's latest twist.
Several Liberal MPs have quietly expressed frustration at repeatedly abstaining on confidence votes. The Liberal savings bill, put forward by Liberal MP Dan McTeague, would give tax deductions to parents who contribute up to $5,000 per child into a Registered Education Savings Plan. The government warns the measure would cost $900-million a year and risk a federal deficit.
Liberal Senator David Smith said Mr. Flaherty's move is a major development that will trigger new considerations for the party in terms of timing the next election.
"There will be a caucus meeting [this morning] and I'm sure it will be discussed and obviously a decision will be made on that," he said.
With the House of Commons set to adjourn Friday for two weeks, several Liberals said yesterday they are likely to delay a final decision until they return. At that point, four by-elections will have taken place, on March 17. If the Liberals do well, they would be more likely to defeat the government on a subsequent budget vote in April.
Liberal MP Bryon Wilfert said his party has long said it will choose the issue for triggering the next campaign. The question is whether to go on the budget and education savings.
"It's an important issue I'm sure for Canadians," he said. "Is this the hill to die on? I don't know."
With a report from Campbell Clark
No comments:
Post a Comment