Layton, Harper shy away from leading election charge
Opposition leaders not talking strategy Harper hints at voting with Liberals
NDP Leader Jack Layton and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper again denounced the minority Liberals yesterday, but each shied away from taking the lead in precipitating a Christmas election campaign.
While the two leaders weren’t talking to each other, they weren’t shy about using the media to hint about their strategy to force an election.
“ I can’t win a vote in the House of Commons without the support of the NDP,” Harper told reporters in Toronto. “ I’m looking for a clear signal that in fact he (Layton) wants to defeat the government.”
Later, Layton seemed to deliver the message Harper wanted to hear.
“ If there’s non- confidence motions before the House we’ll be voting against confidence,” Layton told reporters in Vancouver. “ We don’t believe the government deserves our confidence any longer.”
Layton even went farther than Harper has gone, stating he would vote against the Liberals’ supplementary budget estimates Dec. 8 or any other matter that was a confidence vote. Harper wouldn’t go that far yesterday, saying his party might even vote for the Liberal spending plan. Instead, the Conservative leader said he wants to bring down the government “ the old- fashioned way.
“ The best way to do it is a clear motion of non- confidence, probably a motion that specifies the government’s corruption record,” he said. The Liberals hold 133 seats in the 308-seat Commons. The Conservatives have 98 seats, the Bloc Québécois 54 and the NDP 18. There are four independent MPs and there is one vacancy.
Still, it appears the ball is still in Layton’s court. Harper made it clear he’s waiting for Layton to take the first step to force a confidence vote, suggesting he doesn’t trust the NDP leader.
“ I don’t think we can even be sure we will have Mr. Layton’s votes unless he is in on the motion itself,” Harper said. “ At this point he’s indicated no willingness to do that.”
Despite the public bravado of the opposition leaders, there’s little indication of any backroom plotting among the three parties to craft a strategy that would unite them on a confidence vote. Pressed yesterday why he didn’t lift the phone and talk strategy with the NDP leader, Harper said Layton has gone back on his word in the past.
“ If Mr. Layton wants now or at any time to bring down the Liberal party . . . I assure you we will co- operate with and support that effort,” Harper told a joint session of the Empire and Canadian clubs.
It was in a speech on Monday to the same group that Layton turned up the election fever when he said that health- care talks with the Liberals had broken down and that his caucus was no longer prepared to prop up the minority government.
“ There’s no basis for our party to express confidence in this government,” Layton said, insisting that further negotiations were unlikely. Martin signalled yesterday that he’s all but closed the door for further talks with the NDP.
“ We set out a very clear proposal to Mr. Layton. That proposal is now government policy and we’re proceeding with it. If Jack Layton wants to join with us to protect health care, he is more than welcome,” Martin said. The Prime Minister said he’s not into “ political games.”
“ Until such time as an election is called, I want to govern. . . . That’s what the economic update will be all about. . . . That’s what standing up to the Americans on softwood is all about and that’s what I’m going to do,” he said. The government is to deliver its fall economic update in the Commons on Monday.
Liberal House Leader Tony Valeri said an immediate election would undercut efforts by the Liberals to help low- income Canadians and cities. He said it’s urgent that Parliament pass legislation to implement measures introduced last month that would provide $250 apiece to needy families to help them cope with rising household heating costs. The measures would also provide $800 million over two years for public transit.
Martin has promised to launch an election campaign within 30 days of Justice John Gomery’s second report on the sponsorship affair, which is due Feb. 1.
Meanwhile, the Liberals and Conservatives are accusing each other of engaging in unsavoury politics to raise funds for their parties’ war chests from wellheeled donors. Harper criticized Martin over an event involving the Prime Minister in Toronto next week. Harper cited a letter from Liberal national revenue chair Lawrence Tanenbaum inviting business and community leaders to meet Martin to discuss “ important issues facing Canadians today” in exchange for a donation of $ 5,200 to the Liberal party’s election fund.
Harper, who has been hammering the government on ethical issues since the Gomery report on the sponsorship scandal on Nov. 1, urged Martin to cancel the reception at Tanenbaum’s private residence.
“ If Paul Martin is serious about reforming the Liberal party, let alone government, he would not sell access like this,” Harper said. The Liberals responded by producing a June 14 letter from well- known Alberta Tories asking Canadians to donate up to $ 5,100 to support the Conservatives. The letter from Gwyn Morgan and Patricia Trottier says support “ at the maximum level of $5,100 will qualify you as a member of the Confederation Club, and you will be invited to events such as a recent Confederation Club reception with Stephen Harper.”
“ This proves that Stephen Harper is a hypocrite and that not a word of what he says can be believed,” said Steve McKinnon, national director of the Liberal Party of Canada.