PM flip-flops; foes still plotting

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This article was published 30/11/2008 (6342 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The opposition refused to back down from plans to form a Liberal-NDP coalition government on Saturday, even as the governing Conservatives announced they will withdraw their controversial proposal to end public subsidies for political parties.

As part of an economic update tabled this week, the government proposed eliminating the roughly $28 million in public subsidies that political parties receive for votes they garner in federal elections. But in a stunning reversal, the government said Saturday it will shelve the proposal, which had infuriated the opposition and threatened to topple the government.

"We don’t think it’s in the interests of Canadians to have an election over this issue," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief spokesman, Kory Teneycke, adding the government will release further details this weekend on how it will withdraw the measure.

Still, the climb-down did not appear to stall the momentum of negotiations between the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois on a coalition government.

"The political financing changes were never the issue. The economy has always been the issue," Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale said in a statement. "At a time when every other Western industrialized nation is moving forward with packages to stimulate their economies, all the prime minister has brought to the table is ideological cuts and attacks on the rights of Canadians — nothing to help our economy."

A spokesman for the NDP echoed that view.

"This changes nothing because for the New Democrats, it was never about public financing," party spokesman Brad Lavigne said in an e-mail.

The opposition has threatened to defeat the government in a series of upcoming confidence votes and ask Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean to let them govern as a coalition.

It’s a scenario that some experts say could spark a constitutional crisis.

Meanwhile, sources said Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion and NDP chief Jack Layton were staying in close touch over the weekend.

The NDP held an emergency caucus meeting Saturday to discuss a possible fiscal stimulus package to be introduced by the coalition government. The party is asking for senior cabinet posts in any coalition government, including positions in charge of economic and social portfolios.

On Friday, Harper bought his government some time by delaying the ability of the Liberals to table a non-confidence motion until Dec. 8.

The Conservatives accuse the opposition of trying to form an illegitimate government to guard their "entitlements."

"We’re tremendously disappointed that the opposition parties didn’t share our view that you lead by example," Transport Minister John Baird said Saturday. "This is all about trying to overturn the results of the last election campaign."

All political parties receive a public subsidy for each vote they receive in a general election. Killing the subsidies would have hit the opposition parties harder than the Conservatives, because the subsidies account for a larger share of the opposition’s revenues.

The Conservatives have also launched an all-out communications blitz to discredit the prospect of a Liberal-NDP coalition, urging Conservative MPs to use "every tool at your disposal" to convince Canadians a coalition would be undemocratic and disastrous for the economy.

The Prime Minister’s Office has issued instructions to MPs containing the party’s "key messages," part of a "concerted communication effort" by all party members and activists to sway public opinion over the next crucial week.

Winnipeg MP Steven Fletcher (Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia) immediately issued a news release Saturday afternoon, slamming the opposition parties and — no surprise — backing Harper 100 per cent.

But of the nine Manitoba Tory MPs, only Rod Bruinooge (Winnipeg South) responded to interview requests Saturday left at their constituency offices or on their e-mails.

"I’ve of course made myself available to anyone who called," Bruinooge said. "It’s unfortunate the opposition parties are plotting this somewhat bizarre coup. It’ll be an interesting week, for sure.

"Emotion is driving their decision-making, not logic," said Bruinooge, who said any coalition of opposition parties would produce the weakest government in memory.

Bruinooge said that public financial support for political parties is unnecessary, and it would be reasonable to withdraw the money.

"As you are aware, the opposition parties are currently discussing a plan to topple our government and replace it with a Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition," Harper’s chief of staff, Guy Giorno, wrote in an e-mail — obtained by Canwest News Service — to Conservative MPs.

"While we believe such an arrangement would be an affront to the democratic will of Canadians, when they afforded us a strengthened mandate on October 14th, we must nonetheless take this threat very seriously."

The e-mail includes several "communications products" that Conservative MPs are expected to use, including talking points for use with the local media, "talk radio scripts for your local activists," and a letter to the editor for submission to local newspapers.

 

— Canwest News Service, with files from Nick Martin