Layton to signal honeymoon is over
Speech will target Liberals’ inaction NDP support key to the government
OTTAWA— New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton is expected to deliver a broadside against the “ do- nothing” Liberals today, signalling all bets are off on whether the NDP will continue to prop up Prime Minister Paul Martin’s government. Only hours after Martin makes his own major speech on the state of his government, Layton is due to lay out his main protests over what he sees as a national regime adrift and without purpose.
For politics- watchers who believe the biggest issue right now is the prospective lifespan of this shaky minority government, today’s two speeches will give some indication of the tone, if not the longevity of parliamentary season due to kick off next week.
Layton’s remarks are expected to revolve around what he says is not being done and the absence of a strong national government in areas where it’s needed most — trade disputes with the U. S. and pan- Canadian social programs, for instance. The NDP will also be trying to launch a renewed offensive against “ one- off” deals between Ottawa and the provinces, a trend they see as another sign of Canada’s weak centre.
Layton’s attitude toward the Martin government is pivotal — he could well determine whether the country is plunged into an election sooner rather than later. The Liberals needed NDP support to pass their budget bill in May and avoid a possible snap election. In exchange, Martin’s government agreed to pump $ 4.5 billion into social spending over the next two years. The Liberals, with 133 seats, still need the NDP’s 19- member caucus merely to maintain a tie against the combined, 152- seat strength of the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois. Chuck Cadman, the independent MP who single- handedly saved the Liberal government from losing a crucial vote last May, died in July. There are still three independents in the Commons, which means the Liberal government will be constantly busy keeping Layton and the non- aligned MPs on side.
Layton’s speech today may offer a glimpse of what his party needs to avoid siding with the other opposition parties to force an election. NDP strategists say Layton won’t deliver a wish list or conditions for a future deal with Martin, but they’re leaving no doubt their party is less than impressed with the prospect of propping up the Liberals indefinitely. Some New Democrat insiders reportedly are angling for a quick election, believing that the more time passes, the more the public will forget it was the NDP who made some of the more popular budget measures possible. They are reportedly worried that if Martin gets his wish to delay the election call until the spring, any constructive NDP efforts in this Parliament will be long forgotten.
In his speech today, the Prime Minister is not expected to get specific about his legislative or program plan for the fall. That will come later, PMO strategists say. The speech will be more “ big picture,” as Martin bids to show there is an underlying foundation and a plan beneath the political jockeying that has dominated the federal scene.