Harper wants to be elected dictator..

Of course his words for this are that he wants a stronger mandate and that one should fear a weak government. What we need is a majority government--a word that Harper does not use in order not to make his agenda transparent. Even though Harper was successfull in bullying the Liberals to pass Tory legislation Harper would rather not have to bother having to face any sort of potentially effective opposition. In order to pass Tory legislation they might also need to compromise and spend more on social programs. With our economy soon to decline Harper will be able to cut social spending in the name of prudent fiscal policy. This is from the Globe and Mail.

Each day, almost, Mr. Harper is strengthening the language he uses in asking for a majority government to manage the economy – although he carefully avoids ever using the term.
Conservatives have in the past expressed fears that the public starts to turn away when they near majority-level support, and Mr. Harper appears to still feel majority is a term to be avoided, even though he alluded to it clearly today.
“I say we need a strong mandate. I could say a stronger mandate,” he said.
“What we have seen increasingly is the other parties working together…and certainly all articulating a direction for the Canadian economy that would be totally different than this government and that has me very worried obviously about the pressure that they could bring to bear.”

Leaders trade barbs over economy as markets slide..

The lo0ming economic problems that were part of the reason Harper called for this early vote are already catching up with him. Of course the opposition blames everything on the government even though much of what is happening is clearly beyond government control. Harper did spend money just to buy votes but even that spending als0 had positive effects as far as certain target groups whose votes he is buying are concerned. It is not clear that the publc will look kindly on the increased costs for the carbon tax plan even though it is to be offset by tax cuts. Harper criticism of the Green Shift may be based partly upon lies or at least misrepresentation of the policy but it seems to be effective nonetheless. The Liberal slide may follow the markets downward. A new slogan for Dion: Dont sell us short!

This is from CBC news.


Leaders trade barbs over economy as markets slide
Harper downplays chances of a recession; Dion says Tories 'made bad choices'
Last Updated: Monday, September 15, 2008 3:36 PM ET
CBC News
Canada's political leaders exchanged salvos on the campaign trail Monday over each other's economic proposals, as fears over the stability of major U.S. financial institutions rattled global markets.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has portrayed his party as prudent stewards of Canada's economy amid global uncertainty. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)Monday's trading saw stocks plummet on both sides of the border, as well as in Europe and Asia, following a dual shock from Wall Street that investment bank Lehman Brothers was filing for bankruptcy protection and struggling Merrill Lynch would be sold to Bank of America in a $50-billion US takeover.
Speaking in Ottawa, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper downplayed the potential of a recession despite the market turbulence, while again touting his government's record in handling the Canadian economy.
"There are and there will be difficulties in the world economy," Harper told reporters during a campaign appearance. "At the same time, Canada is not in the same situation as the United States.
"My own belief is if we were going to have some kind of big crash or recession, we probably would have had it by now."
He said Canada's economy and its housing, government and financial sectors all have solid fundamentals.
Harper also took the opportunity to repeat his fierce criticism of Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion's Green Shift carbon tax plan, which proposes a tax on carbon emissions to pay for income tax cuts and other benefits.
"Obviously, this is a time that requires a great deal of prudence," Harper said. "This is not a time for wild experiments in new taxes or grand new spending schemes."
Dion: Tories let booming economy 'hit a brick wall'
Speaking in St. John's on Monday, Dion said Canada's economic growth had slipped to among the lowest of the G8 nations under the watch of Harper, who has a "record of economic mismanagement that has not been matched since Brian Mulroney."
Dion said despite its troubles, the United States's first six months of this year have been better than Canada's in terms of economic growth.
"Stephen Harper has allowed what was a booming economy to hit a brick wall," Dion said. "[He] made bad choices regarding the way he spent. He spent more than any other government before him, but he built nothing with it."
The Liberal leader said the income tax cuts provided under the Green Shift plan would stimulate the economy in key areas, while Harper's "gimmicks" would pull Canada closer to a recession.
He said the Green Shift plan would create jobs in the green economy of the future and wean Canada off its reliance on oil.
"Stephen Harper governs for the next day, the next poll. He wants to buy your vote with gimmicks for the next election."
Harper won't stand up for small investors: Layton
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jack Layton said Canadians, especially retirees and small investors, want to ensure their prime minister is monitoring the companies entrusted with their money.
"Of course with Mr. Harper, we don't see any willingness to really address the need to stand on behalf of Canadian consumers," he told reporters in Halifax on Monday.
"He won't even support the notion of the monitoring of gas prices, let alone the kinds of initiatives that really should be taken here in Canada to make sure that the consumers of investment products are being protected."With files from the Associated Press

Liberals: Easter not the right time to bring down the government.

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

Tories expect to be defeated over budget.

We don't even know what is in the budget yet. Perhaps Harper will put in a poison pill, something the Liberals would find difficult to stomach. However the Liberals have shown that they can swallow any pride or principle in the face of polls that do not favor them. Before Dion defeats the Conservatives he will have to defeat the likes of Ignatieff and Rae. Dion is busy dithering at present. In the end he will get his marching orders from Rae and Ignatief . I
expect there will be no election.
Some articles warn that the Liberals provoking an election now is dumb.
The Ottawa Citizen article on the issue is a good example. The article below is from CTV.
Tories expect to be defeated over budget
Updated Thu. Feb. 14 2008 10:18 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The Conservative government expects that it will be defeated over the budget in early March, which means Canadians could go to the polls by early April.
The government has apparently intensified its election readiness, believing it may fall during a non-confidence vote on March 4, the day of the Liberal amendment to the Tory budget. That could set an election date for as early as April 7.
Sources told CTV News that Liberal Leader Stephane Dion has told party members he is ready to pull the election trigger over the budget bill, even though some Liberals are against the idea.
"All the senior people, including the people who run the campaign ... they don't want an election right now. They do not want an election because they do not believe the party is ready to go into an election," Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife told CTV Newsnet's Mike Duffy Live.
He said that the Conservatives have reacted by getting their election headquarters "up and running. They're getting their planes booked. The campaign workers have been told to get ready for an election campaign."
Fife noted, however, that the divisions over calling an election call run deep in the Liberal Party. He said senior Liberals such as Ralph Goodale, Michael Ignatieff, and Bob Rae don't want an election right now.
"One senior member of parliament said to me, either we're going to get (Dion) to change his mind or maybe we're going to have to push him off the ledge," Fife said.
On Thursday, Dion wouldn't say if he has made up his mind about forcing an election.
"I want to say to the Canadian people -- I always say the same in public and in private -- two things,'' Dion said.
"The first thing is that we will choose our time. The second thing is that we need to be ready at any time."
There are reports that Dion wants to hold a private meeting with his caucus once the budget is tabled later this month.
With files from The Canadian Press

Dion Threatens to force election on federal budget.

This is from the Globe and Mail. We know now that the budget will be tabled on Feb. 26.
Harper will not be able to offer too many goodies since the cupboard is more or less bare but perhaps he will include enough that Liberals may think twice before defeating the government. If the Liberals are ready to defeat the Conservative government it would make sense to vote against the budget. The Liberals are split on Afghanistan and their position is rather nuanced (or unclear!) and might be difficult to "sell" during a campaign. Anyway, both major parties want to avoid an election on the issue. Questions might get out of control. Even so it will no doubt come up during any campaign. I hope that Ignatieff and Rae agree that there should be an election on the budget so that Dion can have a united party to vote against the budget.


Dion threatens to force election on federal budget
Ottawa to table plan as early as Feb. 25
GLORIA GALLOWAY
Globe and Mail Update
February 11, 2008 at 4:45 AM EST
OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said yesterday that his party is prepared to vote against the Conservative government's upcoming federal budget - a move that could push the country into an election within weeks.
The minority Conservatives have provided the opposition with a series of potential triggers to take the country to the polls, including anti-crime legislation and the future of Canada's military mission in Afghanistan.
While the Liberals say they profoundly disagree with the Conservative plan to continue the combat role in Kandahar to the end of 2011, Mr. Dion suggested it would be the budget that spells the end of Stephen Harper's first term as Prime Minister.
"We will look at the budget and, if we conclude that the budget is unacceptable for Canadians - not putting our country in the good direction - we will take our responsibilities," Mr. Dion told CTV's Question Period.
"If the budget is wrong for the country, we will not support this budget, you may be sure," the Liberal Leader said. "We will see the budget and we will make our decision at that time."
The opposition routinely pans the government's fiscal plan. And, because there is little cash left for the Conservatives to spread around, this budget, expected as early as the week of Feb. 25, is expected to offer little in the way of stimulus for a sagging economy. Mr. Dion could seize upon that if he is looking for a way to defeat the government.
Although either the Bloc Québécois or the New Democrats could prop up the Conservatives by themselves, NDP Leader Jack Layton has called for an early election and Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe has spelled out a $15-billion list of demands required for his party's support.
Mr. Dion is said to have been eager to defeat the Conservatives last fall but was persuaded by Liberal party officials that the time was not right. That led to a series of Liberal abstentions on confidence votes. But his comments yesterday suggest his caucus will no longer sit on its hands.
Last week, the Harper government introduced two motions they said would be considered votes of confidence in the government: one would extend the military mission in Afghanistan for another two years; the other would force the Liberal-dominated Senate to speed passage of anti-crime legislation.
Mr. Dion discounted the anti-crime motion as "juvenile."
As for Afghanistan, Liberal MPs will meet tonight to discuss the Conservative motion and the party will introduce its own amendments later this week.
"Canada, as a good partner, wants to help for the reconstruction, for development in Afghanistan, for the tasks of security and training," Mr. Dion said yesterday. So, although the Liberals would end the combat role, "maybe the government will want to explore with us if there is a compatibility of our views about what may be done after February, 2009."
It is unclear how many troops the Liberals would keep on the ground or how soldiers would train the Afghan military without being involved in combat.
Mr. Dion's spokeswoman, Leslie Swartman, said yesterday it was ludicrous to suggest that troops in a war zone would be prevented from engaging with the enemy if they come under attack. "But the specifics that you are asking for with respect to numbers of troops posted where after February, 2009, won't come this week," Ms. Swartman said in an e-mail. "First the government has to agree that our country has done its fair share, and then it can begin negotiations with ISAF [International Assistance Security Force]...."
Liberal sources said their amendments, which must be approved by caucus, will focus on the themes the party has been stressing for some time, including the end of combat in one year's time. They will propose that the military restrict itself to training and security. That would mean the end of operations in which troops are sent out to actively engage the Taliban in battle.
NATO would be told immediately that Canada can no longer perform the combat role in dangerous Kandahar province and that all Canadian troops will leave the country by the end of 2011. In addition, the Liberals say they will ask that the motion commit Canada to providing humanitarian assistance and economic development, and they will demand the safe transfer of prisoners to Afghan authorities.
The Conservatives would extend the combat role on the condition that NATO sends 1,000 more troops to help fight the Taliban in Kandahar and helps Canada obtain helicopters and unmanned drones.
A delegation that included Ian Brodie, Mr. Harper's chief of staff, met with French officials in Paris on the weekend after France hinted that it might find the additional combat troops. The Canadian officials returned home without definitive answers.
"The French are looking to take on a bigger role in Afghanistan. They have several options for doing that - moving south with Canada is only one of them," Sandra Buckler, Mr. Harper's spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.
Editor's Note: The version of this story that appeared in today's Globe mistakenly said the Liberals had introduced two motions last week they said would be considered votes of confidence in the government. That sentence should have read that Conservatives introduced those motions. The sentence has been fixed in this online version.

Duceppe expects federal election call within a month

Duceppe also claims that the Conservative's are using blackmail when it is more of a bribe. However, the bribe is nowhere near large enough to buy Duceppe's support. Duceppe wants a much larger aid package. It will be interesting to see what the Liberals and New Democrats finally decide to do. I suppose the first thing the Liberals will want to do is to take another poll!

Duceppe expects federal election call within a month
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 | 6:09 PM ET
CBC News
Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe said Tuesday he expects a federal election will be called in about a month.

Speaking in Quebec City, Duceppe said he believes the country will be plunged into an election campaign after MPs vote on the government's plan to help the forestry and manufacturing sectors.

"We will make our demands known – in anticipation of the budget – at the end of the month," the Bloc leader said in French during a press conference in Quebec City.

"We are preparing, and we have to be responsible. It's possible an election could be triggered in mid-February. We will be ready," he said.

The Bloc is opposed to the Tories' $1-billion aid plan, saying the sum is clearly insufficient to help the troubled industries.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to tie the plan to the adoption of the federal budget is blackmail, Duceppe said.



The sovereigntist party is calling on Ottawa to boost the amount of money in the aid package to $4.5 billion, with roughly $1.3 billion of the envelope dedicated to Quebec.

Overall, the party would like the plan to include $2 billion for the manufacturing industry, $1 billion for the forestry sector and $1.5 billion for the retraining of laid-off workers, Duceppe said.

"The industry and union demands are in that vein," he said. "What Ottawa is offering falls short."

The Bloc says it will try to force a vote on the plan when the House of Commons reconvenes later this winter.

If an election is triggered, the Bloc will be ready and has healthy coffers, Duceppe said.

With files from the Canadian Press