Martin brushes aside opposition manoeuvring

Public wants government to function: Liberals Tories consider blocking Monday’s mini-budget

The federal Liberals are betting that Canadians will approve of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s determination to plow ahead with new economic and social programs in the face of concerted opposition party demands for an early national election.

“ For heaven’s sakes, let’s not ask the government of Canada to stop acting on behalf of Canadians,” Martin said yesterday after a meeting in Toronto with B. C. Premier Gordon Campbell.

Brushing aside the opposition leaders’ plan to force the minority Liberals from power in January, Martin is trying to lay the groundwork for action on aboriginal issues, the environment, hospital wait times and other issues in the months ahead. But his showdown with the Tories, Bloc Québécois and New Democrats could come to a head on Monday if the Conservatives employ a procedural gambit to block Finance Minister Ralph Goodale from delivering a minibudget that could serve as a campaign platform for the Liberals.

Goodale is expected to transform the usual fall rundown on the state of the economy into a mini- budget that will commit the government to tax cuts for low- and middle- income earners and new spending on defence, energy conservation, post-secondary education and export trade promotion. The fall presentation by the finance minister is usually delivered to the House of Commons finance committee. But Tory MP Monte Solberg said his party is considering passing a motion at the committee to have it adjourned before Goodale can present his mini- budget on Monday afternoon.

“ What they may be doing is trying to tart up an economic statement and turn it into an election platform,” Solberg said. “ If that’s the case, we’re simply not going to allow it.” But Liberals said Goodale would find another venue for the announcement in that case. Hoping to capitalize on public anger over the corruption exposed in the Gomery report on the sponsorship scandal, NDP Leader Jack Layton has retracted his previous support of the Liberal minority and plans to join Tory Leader Stephen Harper and Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe in introducing a pivotal motion in the Commons on Nov. 24. It would say that the government has lost the confidence of Parliament and call on Martin to launch an election campaign after Jan. 1. Even if passed by a majority of MPs, however, the motion would not be binding, and Martin has said he will not be swayed by such appeals.

“ Let the rules of Parliament apply,” the Prime Minister told the media yesterday. “ If what the opposition is saying is that they would like the government to just stop governing . . . then the answer is absolutely no.

“ I’m going to stand up to the Americans on softwood, I’m going to continue to push for the (federal government’s) child- care initiative, and for ( increased federal aid for cities) and I am going to work very, very hard to see that ( hospital) wait times are reduced.

“ That’s the role of government and Mr. Harper, Mr. Layton and Mr. Duceppe, they can do what they’re doing — they can play their political games. I’m not going to engage in that.”

Martin is convinced that the public, although upset by the sponsorship fiasco, still wants the minority government to function and is more than willing to wait until spring to go to the polls, a senior Liberal strategist said. Martin has promised to launch an election campaign within 30 days of Justice John Gomery’s final report on the sponsorship scandal, which is due Feb. 1.

Yesterday, Harper said he didn’t want Goodale’s economic package on Monday to be a repeat of the budget delivered last February when, facing a possible election, the Liberals unveiled billions of dollars in goodies.

“ The government should not think this is an invitation now to go out and promise to spend tens of billions of taxpayers’ dollars,” Harper said in Winnipeg.

“ They no longer have the moral or democratic authority to do that and I caution them against that course of action.”

If the Nov. 24 motion demanding an election in January is ignored, the opposition parties might use their majority to alter the parliamentary calendar so that MPs would have to return to Ottawa in early January instead of continuing their winter break until Feb. 6. Once sitting in January, the Tories, Bloc and NDP could vote non- confidence in the government and force an immediate election campaign.

Harper, Layton and Duceppe are to meet Sunday to discuss their strategy.