Canuck Politics

September 2 and 3, 2009 – Federal party leaders position themselves after Michael Ignatieff and the Liberals began pushing for a fall election.

Prime Minister Harper says he will not make any “backroom deals” but is willing to listen to specific proposals coming from the other parties.

The Liberals have abandoned the blue-ribbon EI consultation panel they negotiated in June, and Ignatieff says he won’t negotiate with Harper any longer.

Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe says the Bloc is ready for an election, and they will vote in the interests of Quebec on an issue-by-issue basis.

NDP leader Jack Layton denies any existing deals with the Liberal Party or Bloc.  Layton he says he will not make any “backroom deals”, and that Stephen Harper must “reach out” and take action on NDP issues or he will not support the Conservatives in the House of Commons.

Related Videos:

• Video: Liberals push for fall election (September 1, 2009)

The Liberal Party will support the 2009/10 Federal Budget against the wishes of their coalition partners in the Bloc and NDP.

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff says he is putting the government “on probation” with a budget amendment requiring the government to report back to Parliament in March, June and December.

Ignatieff refused to consult with the government on the creation of the budget, and the Liberals did not include any specific policy proposals in their budget amendment.

I did not consult him in advance, I see no obligation to … I told the Prime Minister very clearly: I’m the leader of the oppostion, he’s the Prime Minister. Its his budget, not mine.

- Michael Ignatieff

NDP leader Jack Layton and Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe say the move effectively kills the Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition.

Stephen Harper is going to remain in office because Michael Ignatieff has decided to to keep him there.

- Jack Layton

The coalition is dead, its finished, its over.

- Gilles Duceppe

Prime Minister Harper has asked the Governor General to prorogue Parliament until January 26 when the government will present an early budget.

The move delays the government’s likely defeat until it faces a confidence vote on their new Throne Speech.

Harper invited input on the budget from the NDP and Liberals, saying only Canada’s three federalist parties can be trusted to act in Canada’s interests.

The Bloc has every legitimate right to be here, but their game is not about working on the economy to serve the greater interests of the country.

The do have a fundamentally different agenda, and that’s not the agenda of the other three of us … I think that’s a more fundamental difference than whether you are a little more for the market, or a little more interventionist.

- Stephen Harper

The coalition leaders Gilles Duceppe, Jack Layton and Stéphane Dion said they will not support the government, saying its Harper who cannot be trusted.

McKay Political Cartoons: Cracks in coalition starting to show

The leaders of the Liberal Party, NDP, and the Bloc Québécois signed a power sharing agreement and announced their plan to defeat the Conservative government in a confidence vote December 8.

The coalition says they must seize power from Stephen Harper in order to implement a larger economic stimulus package than the Conservative plan.

The political parties have written to Governor General Michaëlle Jean asking her to install Stéphane Dion as Prime Minister instead of calling an election.

The five federal party leaders debate the election issues in the English language debate.

The media consortium that produces the televised leaders’ debates says Green Party leader Elizabeth May will not be invited to the debates in October.

The media consortium implied one or more political parties threatened to boycott the debates if the Green Party were included.

The Conservatives, NDP and Bloc all oppose including the Green Party in the debates, saying Elizabeth May is a Liberal proxy because she has endorsed Stéphane Dion and other Liberal candidates in the election.

The Liberal Party has advocated in favour of including the Green Party since the two parties formed an alliance last year.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced $60 billion in tax cuts, including:

• GST reduction from 6% to 5% effective January 1, 2008
• Personal income tax rate reduction for the lowest tax bracket from 15.5% to 15%, retroactive from January 1, 2007
• Personal income tax reduction from an increased personal exemption, effective retroactively from January 1, 2007
• Reduced employment insurance premiums for both employers and employees effective January 1, 2008
• 1/3 reduction of the corporate and small business tax rate to 15%, implemented over 5 years

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, NDP leader Jack Layton, and Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe all oppose the broad-based tax cuts, preferring smaller targeted tax cuts and more spending on government programs.

Unlike the NDP and Bloc, the Liberal party intends to stage another whipped abstention to ensure there will not be an election over the issue.

October 19 – 24, 2007 - Liberal leader Stéphane Dion addressed the House of Commons and announced his intention to abstain from the vote on the government’s Speech from the Throne despite previous threats and objections to the proposed legislative agenda.

The tactic is known as a ‘whipped abstention’ because MPs are compelled to abstain from the vote or be expelled from the party caucus.

MacKay Editorial Cartoons: Laughter rains down on Dion