Chrétien, Broadbent brokering possible coalition: reports

[Praxius]

You know, after posting last night about how the opposition plan to take down the Conservatives over their plans, I had a funny feeling the NDP and Liberals might think about joining together..... that's how the current conservatives came to be with the Reform party, etc.

Chrétien, Broadbent brokering possible coalition: reports

Former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien and ex-NDP leader Ed Broadbent are reportedly talking about a potential coalition between the two parties, a day after the minority Conservatives delivered their first fiscal update since re-election six weeks ago.

The Canadian Press cited a senior NDP official as saying negotiations began Thursday soon after Finance Minister Jim Flaherty revealed the government's economic plans.

All three opposition parties — the New Democrats, Liberals and Bloc Québécois — have criticized the plan for not including a stimulus package to help boost Canada's slumping economy. It also contains a proposal to save money by cutting public subsidies for political parties and selling government assets.

According to the Canadian Press, the official says NDP Leader Jack Layton asked Broadbent to call Chrétien with hopes the two elder statesmen might finesse a deal for the two parties to defeat the minority government and form a coalition with support from the Bloc.

Yeah that sounds along the lines of Layton's thinking I've seen in the past.... smart little fella he is.

The NDP official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says the two former leaders spoke at least four times and will continue talking Friday.

The news agency also said an unnamed Liberal MP confirmed the talks were going on, and said Broadbent was having a morning meeting with Layton.

Tories defend mini-budget

Speaking to CBC News on Friday morning, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon didn't respond to reports of coalition talks but reiterated that his party won't back down in the face of opposition.

"We have come forward with our plan, with our fiscal and economic update and whatever happens we'll see what happens, but this is our position," said Cannon.

"We are willing and ready to defend that position no matter the outcome."

Well so much for working with the other parties as they said they would do.... it's still "My way or the highway" mentality with them.

The conservatives sure know how to act like children and be irresponsible leaders.

He defended the lack of a stimulus package, saying Canada was "ahead of the curve" thanks to Conservative measures such as lowering the GST.

I call Bullsh*t on that.... it's not enough.

Flaherty's mini-budget proposes strict limits on federal spending, bans public-sector strikes through 2011 and denies federal parties about $30 million in annual funding.

Under the mini-budget, the government would also sell $2.3 billion in government assets and save another $2 billion by placing salary controls for public servants, MPs and senators.

Vote on package goes Monday

Cannon said the plan is indicative of the Conservatives' approach to "lead by example" and ensure everyone is living "according to our means."

The House of Commons is scheduled to vote on the package on Monday. If the opposition parties oppose the Conservative motion, they could topple the government and then request that the Governor General allow them to form a coalition government.

The Liberals were second in the Oct. 14 election with 77 seats to the Conservatives' 143, and would require the support of both the Bloc and New Democrats to form a coalition.

The Bloc holds 49 seats, the New Democrats have 37 and two MPs are Independents.

Ha ha.... the Conservatives sound like they just screwed themselves with a cinder block.

I would have posted this in the political section, but this kind of change in our government (If it does go through) is kinda a big thing I think.

 

[scratch]

I don't know where you found this but it is highly intriguing. PO & Co. I believe, in my opinion are in for a world of hurt.
`Turnabout is fair play`
rgs
scth

 

[Avro]

You know, after posting last night about how the opposition plan to take down the Conservatives over their plans, I had a funny feeling the NDP and Liberals might think about joining together..... that's how the current conservatives came to be with the Reform party, etc.

Chrétien, Broadbent brokering possible coalition: reports



Yeah that sounds along the lines of Layton's thinking I've seen in the past.... smart little fella he is.



Well so much for working with the other parties as they said they would do.... it's still "My way or the highway" mentality with them.

The conservatives sure know how to act like children and be irresponsible leaders.



I call Bullsh*t on that.... it's not enough.





Ha ha.... the Conservatives sound like they just screwed themselves with a cinder block.

I would have posted this in the political section, but this kind of change in our government (If it does go through) is kinda a big thing I think.

I already posted this, guess it got lost.

Anyways, apparently the cons are backing down and will pull this out of the economic update and introduce it seperately and it is unlikely to be a confidence vote. It would only give the opposition more time to negotiate.

Good for the opposition on this, not letting the bullies bully.

 

[Spade]

Scratch,
Do you think impending doom will make the PM a little more prime ministerial rather than consistently ideologically blinkered by the Dork Side?

 

[scratch]

PO & Co. starting to feel the heat.

 

[Praxius]

I already posted this, guess it got lost.

ah, I think I saw it in the Flathead thread just a couple of seconds ago.

Anyways, apparently the cons are backing down and will pull this out of the economic update and introduce it seperately and it is unlikely to be a confidence vote. It would only give the opposition more time to negotiate.

Good for the opposition on this, not letting the bullies bully.

If they really want to make sure they don't get away with this, they should continue to seek a coalition from the Gov.General, because clearly the Cons haven't learned anything and are doing exactly what they did before the election, which is to distabalize the government structure, nothing ever getting done, and to keep pushing their two faced plans until they figure out they've been caught..... then pull back again in order to try again.

At first I thought a conservative government would be a nice change from the Liberals, unfortunatly now I am seeing that they're even worse and more corrupt..... good thing I never voted for either party or I might actually have some guilt about the current situation.

 

[Spade]

Will Harper support this "Coalition of the Willing"?

 

[scratch]

Will Harper support this "Coalition of the Willing"?

What can PO do to stop it?

 

[Trex]

It certainly has the potential for some great political opera.

Should be better than the Simson's anyhoo.

A coalition is going to form, bring down the Government of the day and form a viable replacement ruling Government.
Never happen.
There has only been one successful coalition government in Canada and that was in 1917 or thereabouts.
It was introduced to deal with World War 1 and the government was disbanded at the end of the war.

Igglet and Bob aren't going to back this deal if Dion gets to play.
The dippers have no respect for the Lib's.
The BQ just wants to tear down the whole country.
Sounds like a winning team all right.

Harper is a policy wonk.
The only politician in the field who could match him in a strategy game is Iggy.
If the opposition brings down government with a non-confidence vote we will be back on the hustings quicker than two ticks of a cows tail.
And the Liberal Party of Canada will hold the bag for it.
Count on it.
And one can only imagine how the electorate will respond to yet another election this time courtesy of the Lib's.

I can see the Dipper's and the Bloq leading the Liberals down the garden path on this one.
Pretend to be on side.
Take a giant step back when it falls apart.
And leave Dion standing there with that deer-in-the-headlights look he does so well.
Just to finish off the Liberals once and for all.
Wouldn't put it past em.

Trex

 

[Tonington]

...Just to finish off the Liberals once and for all.
...

Only to have a re-branded party. The crushing defeat of the former Tories, then a "new" party fused together, and they now form the government. So what if the Liberal party kicks the can? A rose by any other name...

 

[scratch]

Only to have a re-branded party. The crushing defeat of the former Tories, then a "new" party fused together, and they now form the government. So what if the Liberal party kicks the can? A rose by any other name...

Wait for the surprise ending to this!

 

[SirJosephPorter]

If Liberals and NDP do end up forming a coalition government, my hope would be that they bring back Paul Martin as the PM. Rightly or wrongly (in my opinion, wrongly), many people don’t have any confidence in Dion as the PM.

I think Paul Martin would be just right of the job, assuming he wants to take it.

 

[lone wolf]

Martin? He has potential. A guy like Broadbent would send Harpo and companions running for their dictionaries to see if they've been had. I can live with coalition.... Anything to spank that spoiled control freak pointy-nosed elf....

 

[Trex]

Its all moot.

The Con's waffled out of it.

Maybe Harper just wants a quite Christmas with the kittens before resuming the games.

Trex

 

[scratch]

Not moot. PO & Co. have big problems heading their way.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

Its all moot.

The Con's waffled out of it.

Maybe Harper just wants a quite Christmas with the kittens before resuming the games.

Trex

I don’t think so, Trex. Conservatives have agreed not to cut the party subsidies, but that wasn’t the main argument. Opposition parties could have lived with cut in party subsidies, if there were no other problems.

The main point of contention is that Conservatives are not offering any stimulus, and all the opposition parties want a stimulus package. If Conservatives don’t do that, they may still lose on Monday.

Opposition parties want a stimulus package in line with USA, Britain and other countries. To which conservatives offer the argument that they already have stimulated the economy, by GST cut (which UK is looking at currently).

They may have a point, but the stimulus has to be applied at just the right time, otherwise it is not effective. Conservatives offered stimulus when it wasn’t needed, they cut taxes, disproportionately for the rich and blew away all the surplus. At that time, it did nothing for the economy, except giving conservatives the satisfaction that they had acted ideologically.

Now imagine if they had not frittered away all the surplus and we would be running 11 or 12 billion $ surplus today. They could have offered a hefty stimulus package and still not run a deficit (or perhaps ran a small deficit).

As it is, nobody, no economist believes their forecast that they will have a slight surplus. Many economists believe that the deficit would be around 6 billion $ even based on Flaherty’s numbers. A stimulus package will add even more to the deficit.

Conservatives dug themselves a hole, now they have to try to get out of it.

Anyway, so I don’t think conservatives have waffled out of it at all, the main point of contention the stimulus package) is still unresolved. It is not over yet.

 

[scratch]

How does that exactly work, they lie and still win?

 

[Praxius]

Basically all that is going to happen one way or another is that either the Conservatives keep their minority government, in somewhat control of things and completely degrade and destroy our democracy with this continual stick poking joke of a process...... or the Liberals and/or NDP join up or take over in some fashion, only for the Conservatives to continually oppose and ruin everything still by not co-operating or working with the other parties out of spite, delays, etc..... and still ruin our democracy.

Either way, no matter about my hatred for the Liberals, the bloc or the green, the Conservatives are the rotten apple in the basket and they should be disbanded and removed from the government. They haven't done one thing productive since they became minority except cut 1% off of GST (Whoopty Doo) and make Dion look like the Dumb founded satanist they want him to look like (Although Dion did a good job all on his own imo)

Harper and the Conservatives are more willing to co-operate and work with the US and Republicans then they are with their own country and elected members by the people of Canada.

In my books they are a threat to our very way of life.... and although it's a pretty sh*tty life anyways, I don't see any logic in allowing the Cons to make it even worse.

 

[scratch]

EXCELLENT POINT!

I applaud you.

rgs

scth

 

[Socrates the Greek]

Good day to all please forgive my anger..........
The Finance minister tells Canadian workers not to think about strike, and went farther to say to the Canadian worker if you have a job don’t make noise for 2 years your right to strike has been revoked, while some of these workers have voted for the vindictive Cons, and here are a bunch of f ucking thugs doing the opposite. They have a job and the ****ers are making unnecessary noise…… F UCKING hypocritesssssssssssssssssssssssssss.