Grits cry foul over Harper warning [Battered Liberals don't want snap election]

Sun Media ^ | 2007-10-05 | Alan Findlay, National Bureau

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OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper's parliamentary ultimatum for opposition parties has a fractured Liberal party crying foul as one as it sits between a rock and a hard place.

In the midst of trying to mend fences within its Quebec ranks and to reorganize leader Stephane Dion's inner circle of advisers, the beleaguered Grits suddenly face the threat of fighting a fall election.

"You look at all the controversy on one hand, and that's a matter of some concern, but on the other hand you look at those national polls and our numbers are holding rock solid," said Grit House Leader Ralph Goodale.

He was referring to a recent public opinion survey putting the Conservatives and Liberals in a statistical dead heat.

Harper held a rare media availability in the National Press Theatre on Wednesday at which he warned the opposition parties that any major government bill could be considered a matter of confidence this fall.

If so, any bill defeated by the three opposition parties could trigger an election.

Goodale accused Harper of trying to trigger an election in a way that he can blame the opposition.

Harper's threat also flies in the face of his own remarks from his days in opposition when he said then-prime minister Paul Martin should minimize confidence motions and govern in consultation with other parties.

Harper's tack squeezes the Liberals in particular because both the Bloc Quebecois and the NDP have already issued their own ultimatums on the government.

Those declarations have positioned their members to vote against the Oct. 16 throne speech, which leaves the fate of the speech in Liberal hands.

Either triggering an election or allowing Conservative legislation to pass is not a welcome dilemma for a Liberal party trying to recover from a highly public family feud that has cost the party its national director (amidst calls for his ouster from Quebec officials and MPs including Denis Coderre and Pablo Rodriguez) and a pair of high-profile candidates in Quebec.

Yesterday, Rodriguez was aiming his criticism back toward Harper.

"Once again, he's acting as the new emperor of Canada," said Rodriguez. "He clearly wants an election."

University of Carleton political scientist Jonathan Malloy said Harper's "brinkmanship" has been seen in the past, but it remains uncertain how such serial confidence votes will actually play out.

"If the (opposition) parties voted against it but said, 'this isn't a confidence motion,' that leaves it a little vague," said Malloy.

"If the government said it's a confidence motion and they lost it, I think the prime minister would have the moral and legal authority to get a dissolution (of Parliament) as in the past."

[Clive]

Box quote:

"ONCE AGAIN, HE'S ACTING AS THE NEW EMPEROR OF CANADA."

MP PABLO RODRIGUEZ, SPEAKING ABOUT THE PM

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[fanfan]

[NorthOf45]

Yeah, ‘cause Chretien and Martin NEVER did that.