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.
Liberal leader Stéphane Dion has backed away from his Throne Speech ultimatum in which he threatened to defeat the government unless it meets 4 Liberal Party demands.
All three Opposition parties have set conditions for supporting the Throne Speech, and an election will be called if they follow through on their threats.
However, Stéphane Dion now says he will take a ‘wait and see’ approach. The change comes amid ongoing divisions in the Liberal Party, and after an October 13 Ipsos-Reid poll showing 40% of Canadians would vote Conservative, and 67% think Canada is moving in the right direction.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper challenged the opposition parties to either give the minority Conservative government a mandate to govern, or force a general election.
Both the Liberal Party and Bloc Québécois have threatened to reject the government’s Speech from the Throne on October 16, unless it meets their demands. The government will fall and there will be a general election unless it can win the support of at least one opposition party.
The government is unlikely to agree to all of Stéphane Dion’s demands, or all of the Bloc Québécois’ conditions. NDP Leader Jack Layton said he will wait and see whether any of his concerns are addressed.
September 26, 2007 - Stéphane Dion held a press conference to claim Stephen Harper has a hidden agenda.
Since Dion’s election as Liberal leader in December 2006, he has frequently describedHarper’s government as secretive, ideological and having a hidden agenda.
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