Liberals help defeat Bloc budget amendment.

This is from the Calgary Herald.

The Bloc amendment contains precisely some of the items that the Liberals complained was not in the budget and also it deals with the complaints of Newfoundland and Quebec about equalisation. No matter when it comes to propping up the Tories the Liberals will throw principle out the window. Of course this assumes they had any to begin with which is open to question.


Friday » January 30 » 2009

Grits help budget clear first hurdle
Amendment by Bloc quashed

Meagan Fitzpatrick
Canwest News Service
Friday, January 30, 2009
CREDIT: Chris Wattie, Reuters
Jack Layton's new Democratic party has launched attack ads against the Liberals after they agreed to support the budget.
The federal budget passed its first test in the House of Commons Thursday evening when a sub-amendment proposed by the Bloc Quebecois failed to win enough support.
The Liberals sided with the Conservatives and defeated the amendment 214 to 85. The New Democratic Party voted for the amendment, which included calls to enhance the employment insurance system, abandon tax cuts "for the well off," retreat on the idea of a national securities commission, and maintain the old equalization program.
It was the first vote to take place on the budget that was unveiled Tuesday. The Liberals on Wednesday said they would support it if the Conservatives agreed to an amendment that would require the government to give "accountability" reports to Parliament on the economic stimulus measures contained in the budget.
The Tories agreed to support the Liberal amendment when it comes to a vote on Monday. The mutual support between the parties guarantees the survival of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government.
The Liberals' decision to support the budget prompted Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe to declare the opposition coalition deal signed in December "dead" and NDP Leader Jack Layton to accuse Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff of forming a new coalition with the Conservatives.
The NDP continued its line of attack on Thursday in two radio advertisements that take aim squarely at Ignatieff and slam him for agreeing to support the government. Layton is now attempting to portray Ignatieff, briefly his political ally, as a weak leader.
In one of two radio spots that can be heard on the NDP's website, a woman's voice says Canadians were counting on Ignatieff to "take a stand.
"Instead, he's propping up Stephen Harper. Michael Ignatieff failed his first test as Liberal leader. Jack Layton is the only leader strong enough to stand up to Harper and get us through this economic crisis," the voice says.
The second spot uses similar language.
Liberal MP Bob Rae dismissed the advertisements as "irrelevant" and said the NDP is"wasting their money."
"I think it'll have about as much impact as last year's snow," he told reporters.
© The Calgary Herald 2009