Posts Tagged ‘Jack Layton’
Layton meets Harper, finds no common ground
NDP leader Jack Layton met with Prime Minister Harper to discuss the upcoming session of Parliament.
Layton said he could find no common ground with Harper, and it is unlikely the NDP will support the Conservative government on votes of confidence.
The NDP would be the least likely of the political parties to support the Conservatives.
- Jack Layton
Coalition dies as Liberals support Conservative budget
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
Harper prorogues Parliament, makes appeal to federalists
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
Harper dares Dion to face voters
Stephen Harper fights for the survival of his government in a heated session of Question Period.
Related Videos:
- Video: Social democrats unite to topple government (December 1, 2008)
- Video: Opposition parties move to seize power (November 28, 2008)
- Video: Government faces defeat over cuts to political subsidies (November 27, 2008)
Social democrats unite to topple government
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.
Government faces defeat over cuts to political subsidies
Canada’s opposition parties are threatening to defeat the Conservative government over cuts to political party subsidies included in Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s economic update.
Flaherty says the federal budget will go into deficit after accounting for the planned economic stimulus spending agreed by the G-20 nations.
We cannot ask Canadians to tighten their belts during tougher times without looking in the mirror. Canadians have a right to look to government as an example. We have a responsibility to show restraint and respect for their money. Canadian tax dollars are precious … Today, our Government is eliminating the $1.75-per-vote taxpayer subsidy for politicians and their parties, effective April 1, 2009.
- Finance Minister Jim Flaherty
Parliament’s new spirit of cooperation?
November 18 to 24, 2008 – The 40th session of Parliament opens with all political parties promising a new spirit of cooperation. Despite this, opposition members set a confrontational tone in Question Period.
Election 2008 Federal Leaders’ Debate (Full Video)
Green Party excluded from leaders’ debates
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.
Canada apologizes for residential schools, forced assimilation
Prime Minister Harper offered Canada’s aboriginal peoples an official apology for the government’s involvement in the Indian residential school system and its ongoing policy of forced assimilation.
Opposition leaders also offered their apologies during a special sitting of the House of Commons. First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders were welcomed onto the House floor to respond to the apology.
