Liberals may plot downfall of Conservatives

Jersay

House Member
Dec 1, 2005
4,837
2
38
Independent Palestine
Liberals contemplate quick comeback after disastrous first week for Harper
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

at 14:18 on February 12, 2006, EST.
By JOAN BRYDEN

OTTAWA (CP) - Liberals are dreaming about a speedy return to power after watching the disastrous opening week of Stephen Harper's new Conservative administration.

Only three weeks after suffering a humiliating defeat, Liberals are musing openly about whether Harper's shaky minority government can survive the year.

And Liberal officials are being urged to hasten the selection of a new leader so that the party can be ready as soon as possible for an election.

"We are, I would say, reinvigorated and energized," interim Liberal leader Bill Graham said in an interview at the end of Harper's controversy-plagued inaugural week.

He said the opening week has stiffened Liberals' resolve to oppose the Conservative agenda, even if it means toppling the government.

"We're going to oppose those measures that we find are not in the interests of Canada and Canadians and we'll oppose them all the way," Graham said.

"And if that leads to the government falling, it's going to lead to the government falling. And the way they're making their decisions it's clear that could happen earlier rather than later just given the nature of what they're doing."

Harper plunged his fledgling regime into turmoil with some unusual choices for his cabinet which cast doubt on his election pledge to run a more accountable, ethical administration.

In particular, he stunned and infuriated his own caucus by appointing Liberal turncoat David Emerson to the international trade portfolio and party organizer Michael Fortier to the Senate and the sensitive Public Works portfolio.

Other cabinet choices raised ethical concerns, such as the appointment of erstwhile defence lobbyist Gordon O'Connor

to the Defence portfolio.

All last week, disappointed Tory MPs voiced muted disapproval while disgusted Conservative bloggers across the country railed against the cabinet choices, particularly the perceived hypocrisy and opportunism of Emerson's defection only days after winning re-election as a Liberal.

"The fact that (Harper) has had such a terrible week, obviously encourages Liberals," said party president Mike Eizenga.

While he acknowledged there are always "ups and downs in politics" and the Tories could recover, Eizenga said Harper has demonstrated that he "can't be trusted" to deliver on his promises, a charge that will "stick with him" into the next election.

At a reunion late last week of current and former Liberal parliamentary aides, Liberals could barely contain their glee over the chaos in Tory ranks.

"That's the shortest honeymoon of any government in Canadian history," chortled former deputy prime minister John Manley in brief remarks to the assembled aides.

"David Emerson really is a great Liberal. In one move, he united the Liberals and divided the Tories."

Manley joked that "every once in a while we have to let the Tories take over so that Canadians remember just how good a Liberal government is."

Manley is one of four high-profile potential contenders who've declined to join the race to replace Paul Martin, who announced his intention to resign as leader immediately after leading the Liberals to defeat in the Jan. 23 election. Manley told The Canadian Press he has not changed his mind, despite the Liberals' suddenly brighter prospects.

The Liberal national executive is to meet in mid-March to set a date for the leadership convention, which could be held as early as November or as late as March, 2007. With the Tories stumbling so badly out of the gate, the party brass is under pressure to name the earliest date.

"You can certainly say there are those who are urging us to act with as much haste as possible," said national director Steven MacKinnon, adding that "certainly there are more people saying that this week than last week."

http://start.shaw.ca/start/enCA/News/NationalNewsArticle.htm?src=n021211A.xml
 

Colpy

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 5, 2005
21,887
847
113
69
Saint John, N.B.
Typical Liberal arrogance.


Manley joked that "every once in a while we have to let the Tories take over so that Canadians remember just how good a Liberal government is"

Oh yeah

I'll call the Liberals next time I want a few hundred million of my dollars stolen.
 

Jersay

House Member
Dec 1, 2005
4,837
2
38
Independent Palestine
Typical Liberal arrogance.


Manley joked that "every once in a while we have to let the Tories take over so that Canadians remember just how good a Liberal government is"

Oh yeah

I'll call the Liberals next time I want a few hundred million of my dollars stolen.

Hopefully people get past their own fears of the NDP, and elect them to office. Even on a minority I am sure they would do a good job. It would be better with a minority NDP government anyway because they wouldn't be able to go into debt they would be kept in check.
 

FiveParadox

Governor General
Dec 20, 2005
5,875
43
48
Vancouver, BC
I would hope that the Liberal Party of Canada selects a new leader as expediently as possible; with the current political atmosphere in Canada, the House of Commons could be dissolved at any time.
 

Jersay

House Member
Dec 1, 2005
4,837
2
38
Independent Palestine
I would hope that the Liberal Party of Canada selects a new leader as expediently as possible; with the current political atmosphere in Canada, the House of Commons could be dissolved at any time.

Agreed. How would it work if the Liberals won an election but they had an interm leader, would Graham become the PM.

Also, you know it is kind of funny if Harper lost on this one issue of political appointments to cabinet.

And I don't expect the parliment to last very long because of Harper and his parties idea of like they have a majority.

But I would like three things done;

more election reform, that the NDP want
Border Guards armed
and the Federal Accountibility Act.

Also if the Liberals want to bring down Harper, it shouldn't be on Accountibility because it will make them look as corrupt as Harper claims they are, they would lose most support.
 

FiveParadox

Governor General
Dec 20, 2005
5,875
43
48
Vancouver, BC
Speech From the Throne

It may be more appropriate to defeat the Conservative Ministry on the Speech From the Throne — and if they continue to "blunder," as they have so far, before the House of Commons has even had a chance to convene, then I would assert that doing so would be quite possible.

However, to my knowledge, a defeat through the Throne Speech has never been done.
 

Jersay

House Member
Dec 1, 2005
4,837
2
38
Independent Palestine
It may be more appropriate to defeat the Conservative Ministry on the Speech From the Throne — and if they continue to "blunder," as they have so far, before the House of Commons has even had a chance to convene, then I would assert that doing so would be quite possible.

However, to my knowledge, a defeat through the Throne Speech has never been done.

Even though it is possible, the Conservatives could claim that they were defeated by people with a hidden agenda before they even had a chance to put out their plan for Canada.

I think defeating the government on a throne speech is tricky, but Harper just might want that. He places his speech out for the opposition to pull and say its non-negotiable, it will be interesting.
 

FiveParadox

Governor General
Dec 20, 2005
5,875
43
48
Vancouver, BC
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, the Governor General of Canada, could be placed in a very awkward position, were the Conservative Ministry to be defeated in such short order; I would doubt that most of mainstream Canada would desire an election so soon.
 

FiveParadox

Governor General
Dec 20, 2005
5,875
43
48
Vancouver, BC
Now that I am voting age, and I have voted once already, I have every intention of voting in each and every Municipal, Provincial and Federal election, and any other election for leadership with which I am presented.

I wouldn't feel right were I to abstain from voting, personally.
 

JomZ

Electoral Member
Aug 18, 2005
273
0
16
Reentering the Fray at CC.net
I am a little perplexed by the Liberal’s general ideal that they can just go into another election just like that.

- Canada doesn’t want one
- The Liberal’s can’t afford one. Being 30 million in debt can do that to you.
- The Conservatives will probably win again anyways unless they stay in power for at least a session of parliament.

Although, I myself was upset about the appointment choices, I do not think they warrant a collapsing of the government, just yet.
 

FiveParadox

Governor General
Dec 20, 2005
5,875
43
48
Vancouver, BC
I dunno; the House of Commons does not convene for somewhere around two months. If the current trend of arrogance, in terms of the appointments made by the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, thus far, continues, I could foresee an extremely early defeat.

:!: Edit Resolved a formatting error.
 

Colin

New Member
Jun 20, 2005
47
0
6
RE: Liberals may plot dow

I would be highly dissapointed, as likely it would be another Liberal government, futher fuelling their attitude of entitlement.
 

Hank C

Electoral Member
Jan 4, 2006
953
0
16
Calgary, AB
Re: Speech From the Throne

FiveParadox said:
It may be more appropriate to defeat the Conservative Ministry on the Speech From the Throne — and if they continue to "blunder," as they have so far, before the House of Commons has even had a chance to convene, then I would assert that doing so would be quite possible.

However, to my knowledge, a defeat through the Throne Speech has never been done.

I doubt the Liberals want another election soon as they are in debt! And if there was another election before the house convened do you really think the Liberals would win? Most likely it would result in another minority government....or people would just say f**k it and vote to give the Conservatives a majority so we don't have to deal with another election.
 

Hank C

Electoral Member
Jan 4, 2006
953
0
16
Calgary, AB
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060211/wl_canada_nm/canada_politics_col

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadians have given their new Conservative government a tentative seal of approval, but they are wary of some of the choices made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, according to a poll published on Saturday.

The first major poll since Harper took office on Monday showed 54 percent of voters approved of Harper's leadership since his Conservative Party ousted the Liberals in Canada's January 23 election.

That's well above the 36 percent that the party polled in the election.

But the poll, published in the National Post newspaper, also showed that 48 percent disapproved of two controversial cabinet appointments -- a former Liberal minister who switched sides to join the Conservatives and is now Harper's trade minister, and an unelected Quebec politician who Harper named to the Senate and gave the job of public works minister.

"Harper is being given a fair amount of latitude by the Canadian public at this stage of the game," Ipsos-Reid pollster Darrel Bricker told the newspaper.

"They want to give this guy a chance, and even on a very controversial issue like Cabinet (appointments)."

The two cabinet appointments were controversial because Harper had argued in the past against appointing party loyalists to the Senate, the upper house of Parliament.

The Conservatives were irate last year when a Conservative Member of Parliament, Belinda Stronach, joined the Liberals during the previous government, especially as her defection kept the minority Liberal government in power for another few months.

Some legislators, including at least one Conservative, say the new trade minister, David Emerson, should resign and run for Parliament again. The left-wing New Democratic Party has asked Parliament's Ethics Commissioner to examine if Harper breached Parliamentary rules when he offered Emerson a cabinet job.

Emerson, who was a minister in the previous Liberal government, told CBC Television on Friday that he would not quit, despite the furor surrounding his appointment.

"We've got at least three, perhaps more, members of Parliament who have crossed the floor or opted to sit as an Independent. Frankly, my circumstances are not any different than those," he told CBC.

The Conservatives have only a minority of seats in Parliament and will need support from other parties to stay in power. They promise to cut Canada's federal sales tax and give families money to help pay for child care, but say they will not allow Canada to run up a budget deficit.

"We have a strong economy, we are going to take steps to encourage more growth with the reduction of the GST (goods and services tax)," Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Saturday.
 

Hank C

Electoral Member
Jan 4, 2006
953
0
16
Calgary, AB
Again I doubt that the controversial cabinet members are enough to but the fiberals back into power. Another election over such a relatively small issue like this could cause and outrage....
 

nitzomoe

Electoral Member
Dec 31, 2004
334
0
16
Toronto
RE: Liberals may plot dow

I doubt liberals are in any position to bring down a conservative, if anything Harper will use his fearmongering and crappy ads to get a majority.

But what Manley says is quite true, every few years a conservative government comes to power destroys everything and then a liberal government has to come and fix everything again. sad reality.
 

Finder

House Member
Dec 18, 2005
3,786
0
36
Toronto
www.mytimenow.net
I can only pray this government lasts a full year.
I'm hoping for a Strong NDP-Liberal government. =-D My ignorance of a NDP-CPC government has been blown away by Mr Harper already
 

Jersay

House Member
Dec 1, 2005
4,837
2
38
Independent Palestine
54% of Canadians support Harper, come on. That's crazy.

Now, with a CPC-NDP alliance, Harper and his party blew it. Hopefully the NDP work on what they want to get done, but it looks like Harper appears to be on a high horse and doesn't want to work with anyone.
 

Dexter Sinister

Unspecified Specialist
Oct 1, 2004
10,168
536
113
Regina, SK
Re: Speech From the Throne

Hank C said:
And if there was another election before the house convened...

Can't happen. The government has to fall on a confidence vote in the House, for which the House obviously has to convene, or the government has to resign for no apparent reason and Harper has to go visit the G-G, which would be a totally damnfool thing to do. She'd insist the government meet the House at least once. She'd also be within her prerogatives--these are the few real powers the G-G has--to ask the Liberals to try to form a government if Harper resigns or falls. That'd be an awkward coalition with the NDP and a few disaffected Conservative or BQ members, but strange things can happen in parliamentary democracies. We've already seen a few in Harper's cabinet appointments.