Canuck Politics

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

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Tags: 2008 federal election, Afghanistan, carbon market, carbon tax, Conservative Party, economy, Elizabeth May, environment, foreign affairs, fundraising, George Bush, Gilles Duceppe, Green Party, greenhouse gas, healthcare, immigration, Jack Layton, Kyoto Accord, law & order, leaders debate, Liberal Party, majority government, minority government, National Unity, NDP, new Canadians, recession, Stéphane Dion, Stephen Harper

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.

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Tags: 2008 federal election, Elizabeth May, Gilles Duceppe, Green Party, Jack Layton, leaders debate, Liberal-Green alliance, Stéphane Dion, Stephen Harper

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.

Tags: Duceppe, Gilles Duceppe, GST, Jack Layton, Jim Flaherty, Stéphane Dion, tax cuts

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

Tags: confidence vote, election speculation, Gilles Duceppe, Jack Layton, Stéphane Dion, Stephen Harper, throne speech, whipped abstension