Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will address the nation Wednesday night as part of a political and constitutional battle over whether the opposition should be allowed to replace his minority government. Harper's Conservatives were reelected Oct. 14, with just 12 seats short of a majority in the 308-seat Parliament.
The prime minister is arguing that a plan by the three opposition parties to bring down the government and install a coalition government is undemocratic and has challenged the opposition to cease their attempt to win power through a parliamentary back door and face the people again. But that's not an attractive alternative given the high cost – about C$300 million – to hold a vote in these desperate financial times just weeks after a federal election.
Cabinet ministers say one leading option Harper is considering is asking for a temporary suspension of Parliament at least until his government can present a budget with new measures to stimulate the economy on January 27.
But he could only do that if Governor General Michaelle Jean approves.
There's no shortage of opinion on both sides of that issue, but one interesting take on it comes from a former governor general. Ed Schreyer told the CBC Wednesday the Liberal-NDP coalition should get a chance to govern if the Conservatives are defeated in the House of Commons. "The ground rules of fair play, constitutional fair play and propriety are clear," he told the network. "We are a parliamentary democracy…And governments are elected according to whether or not they have and are able to maintain the confidence of a majority in Parliament," he said adding that the conventions of Canada's parliamentary democracy must not be ignored avoided or evaded.
The main opposition Liberal Party, the separatist Bloc Quebecois and the left-leaning New Democratic Party signed an agreement Monday to try to topple Harper's minority government. And they have written to the governor general asking her to give them an opportunity to govern in place of the Tories.
Government spokesman National Revenue Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said his party has the right to government because it has the most seats in Parliament. At the very least, he said the party should have a chance to present a national budget next month. The Conservatives view is that the opposition move amounts to a coup.
But the opposition insists that Harper has lost their confidence and he must face the House of Commons. Confidence votes are set for next Monday but would be put on hold if Harper moves to prorogue Parliament. "Instead of facing that test, he's like the student who's standing outside the classroom pulling the fire alarm before he has to write the exam," Liberal MP Scott Brison told reporters in Ottawa.
The opposition parties insist it is proper for them to come together if they do not like the government's platform. They complain that there was not enough in the government's recent economic statement to combat an economic slowdown, but what really galvanized them was a government attempt to cut off direct subsidies of political parties. Harper has backed down on that plan.
Harper is pinning his hope of winning the political war by casting the opposition as unpatriotic by seeking the support of the Bloc Quebecois, a party that's determined to break up the country and declare independence for the French-speaking province of Quebec.
One of the men who helped put together the coalition is incensed about that. Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent said in order to save his own government Harper is deliberately trying to deceive Canadians about the coalition. Broadbent told CBC Wednesday Harper is trying to pit English Canada against Quebecers in his attempt to discredit the proposed coalition to replace him if the Conservative minority government falls.
He called the prime minister a liar. "I've never seen the leader of a Conservative party, certainly not Bob Stanfield, certainly not Joe Clark, lie — I choose the word deliberately — the way Mr. Harper has," Broadbent said. He said Harper also lied when he said the three opposition leaders refused to sign their agreement in front of a Canadian flag because Gilles Duceppe, a Quebec sovereigntist, objected. He noted that there were at least two flags present at Monday's signing ceremony, as well as a painting of the Fathers of Confederation.
Broadbent said Harper is conducting a "shameful operation" by trying to turn certain defeat in the House of Commons into a national unity crisis. "I'm concerned I have a prime minister who lies to the people of Canada and knows it," Broadbent said. "It's one thing to exaggerate. It's another to deliberately tell falsehoods."
He also accused Harper of lying about the details of the proposed coalition, including his charge that the Bloc Québécois is a formal partner and that six Bloc MPs would be offered Senate positions under the coalition government.
The opposition's proposed economic stimulus package, Broadbent said, contains similar measures to ones planned by U.S. president-elect Barack Obama in the wake of the global economic crisis. "Other countries are doing it and we should be doing it here," he said. He said Harper is betraying the honourable legacy of past party leaders by continuing to delay a confidence vote in the House of Commons. He said he and Harper's predecessors had a sense of integrity and would have done the proper thing.
"If we lost the confidence, then we would accept that and have to resign," Broadbent said
The prime minister is arguing that a plan by the three opposition parties to bring down the government and install a coalition government is undemocratic and has challenged the opposition to cease their attempt to win power through a parliamentary back door and face the people again. But that's not an attractive alternative given the high cost – about C$300 million – to hold a vote in these desperate financial times just weeks after a federal election.
Cabinet ministers say one leading option Harper is considering is asking for a temporary suspension of Parliament at least until his government can present a budget with new measures to stimulate the economy on January 27.
But he could only do that if Governor General Michaelle Jean approves.
There's no shortage of opinion on both sides of that issue, but one interesting take on it comes from a former governor general. Ed Schreyer told the CBC Wednesday the Liberal-NDP coalition should get a chance to govern if the Conservatives are defeated in the House of Commons. "The ground rules of fair play, constitutional fair play and propriety are clear," he told the network. "We are a parliamentary democracy…And governments are elected according to whether or not they have and are able to maintain the confidence of a majority in Parliament," he said adding that the conventions of Canada's parliamentary democracy must not be ignored avoided or evaded.
The main opposition Liberal Party, the separatist Bloc Quebecois and the left-leaning New Democratic Party signed an agreement Monday to try to topple Harper's minority government. And they have written to the governor general asking her to give them an opportunity to govern in place of the Tories.
Government spokesman National Revenue Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said his party has the right to government because it has the most seats in Parliament. At the very least, he said the party should have a chance to present a national budget next month. The Conservatives view is that the opposition move amounts to a coup.
But the opposition insists that Harper has lost their confidence and he must face the House of Commons. Confidence votes are set for next Monday but would be put on hold if Harper moves to prorogue Parliament. "Instead of facing that test, he's like the student who's standing outside the classroom pulling the fire alarm before he has to write the exam," Liberal MP Scott Brison told reporters in Ottawa.
The opposition parties insist it is proper for them to come together if they do not like the government's platform. They complain that there was not enough in the government's recent economic statement to combat an economic slowdown, but what really galvanized them was a government attempt to cut off direct subsidies of political parties. Harper has backed down on that plan.
Harper is pinning his hope of winning the political war by casting the opposition as unpatriotic by seeking the support of the Bloc Quebecois, a party that's determined to break up the country and declare independence for the French-speaking province of Quebec.
One of the men who helped put together the coalition is incensed about that. Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent said in order to save his own government Harper is deliberately trying to deceive Canadians about the coalition. Broadbent told CBC Wednesday Harper is trying to pit English Canada against Quebecers in his attempt to discredit the proposed coalition to replace him if the Conservative minority government falls.
He called the prime minister a liar. "I've never seen the leader of a Conservative party, certainly not Bob Stanfield, certainly not Joe Clark, lie — I choose the word deliberately — the way Mr. Harper has," Broadbent said. He said Harper also lied when he said the three opposition leaders refused to sign their agreement in front of a Canadian flag because Gilles Duceppe, a Quebec sovereigntist, objected. He noted that there were at least two flags present at Monday's signing ceremony, as well as a painting of the Fathers of Confederation.
Broadbent said Harper is conducting a "shameful operation" by trying to turn certain defeat in the House of Commons into a national unity crisis. "I'm concerned I have a prime minister who lies to the people of Canada and knows it," Broadbent said. "It's one thing to exaggerate. It's another to deliberately tell falsehoods."
He also accused Harper of lying about the details of the proposed coalition, including his charge that the Bloc Québécois is a formal partner and that six Bloc MPs would be offered Senate positions under the coalition government.
The opposition's proposed economic stimulus package, Broadbent said, contains similar measures to ones planned by U.S. president-elect Barack Obama in the wake of the global economic crisis. "Other countries are doing it and we should be doing it here," he said. He said Harper is betraying the honourable legacy of past party leaders by continuing to delay a confidence vote in the House of Commons. He said he and Harper's predecessors had a sense of integrity and would have done the proper thing.
"If we lost the confidence, then we would accept that and have to resign," Broadbent said
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