Ignatieff puts PM on notice

[Praxius]

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff speaks with the media during a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Bring down a good budget or we’ll bring you down, Liberal leader says
Ignatieff puts PM on notice - Nova Scotia News - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Michael Ignatieff began his tenure as Liberal leader with a blunt challenge to Stephen Harper: change your divisive, ruthlessly partisan ways or we’ll bring you down.

Just an hour after being named interim party leader Wednesday, Ignatieff declared he’s prepared to topple the minority Conservatives and try to form a coalition government if he’s not satisfied with the coming federal budget.

He also began imposing discipline on his fractious troops, asserting that he — and only he — speaks for the Liberal party.

Most Liberal MPs, who had been determined to defeat the government 10 days ago over an inadequate fiscal update, fell in line, adopting their new leader’s more qualified approach to the coalition.

Ignatieff said the fate of the government will depend on the prime minister’s conduct and the content of the Jan. 27 economic blueprint.

He noted that while other countries have taken action to deal with the economic crisis, "Harper has shut down Parliament."

"Stephen Harper’s government is not providing Canada with the leadership or stability it needs . . . he’s offered no hope, no solutions, no plan for our country," he told a news conference.

"Where Mr. Harper has failed, we can succeed."

Ignatieff signalled his willingness to work with the government to come up with a budget.

But he said it’s up to Harper to initiate any discussions and to demonstrate that he’s changed his "spiteful," "divisive" and "polarizing" attitude toward opposition parties.

"The prime minister must be in no doubt whatever . . . that our party will vote a motion of non-confidence in this government if we do not get a budget that responds to the national interest of our country. Period. I can’t be clearer about that. "

Late Wednesday, Harper called Ignatieff and offered to talk any time he wants, a spokesman for the prime minister said.

Ignatieff also warned that his co-operative attitude will evaporate if the Conservatives try to undermine his fledgling leadership with vicious attack ads — a tactic they successfully employed against his predecessor, Stephane Dion.

"It would seem to me . . . a very, very serious mistake to engage in partisan attacks against a party leader at this moment. I hope I make myself clear," Ignatieff said, squinting ominously into the cameras.

"We’re in the middle of a parliamentary crisis. It’s not conducive to engage in partisan political attacks against me or any other member of the House of Commons."

"Look where it’s got him. I think he should walk back."

The Tories didn’t wait for Ignatieff to take over before launching their first attack.

Doug Finley, Conservative national campaign chairman, sent out a fundraising letter slamming the Liberal party for short-circuiting its leadership selection process and quickly installing Ignatieff before party members could cast ballots. Finley called it a "stunning and unprecedented demonstration of Liberal contempt for our democratic rights."

What a moron.... based on the limited time to get everything situation, and based on the fact that he was the deputy leader of the party and has every right to take over for Dion, this is yet another typical and sad attempt to make everyone else look evil compared to the Conservatives.

And he's one to talk about contempt for our democratic rights when Harper delays our democracy to avoid a confidence vote..... friggin hypocritical.

Noting that Harper prorogued Parliament rather than face a confidence vote he was bound to lose, Ignatieff retorted: "I don’t take lessons in legitimacy from Stephen Harper."

Ignatieff said he’ll abide by the coalition agreement struck by Dion with New Democrats and supported by the Bloc Quebecois. But he disputed NDP Leader Jack Layton’s insistence that Harper should be defeated no matter what’s in the budget.

The Liberal national executive unanimously endorsed Ignatieff as interim leader Wednesday, after consulting with about 800 key Liberals across the country.

Liberal MPs and senators also unanimously endorsed Ignatieff, who is to be acclaimed as permanent leader at a convention in Vancouver in early May.

In a show of solidarity, Bob Rae, who withdrew from the leadership race Tuesday, nominated Ignatieff at the closed-door caucus meeting. The lifelong friends then hugged.

"When Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff embraced, it was hard to keep a dry eye," Toronto MP Martha Hall Findlay said afterward.

"It was just an extraordinary moment."

New Brunswick MP Dominic LeBlanc, who pulled out of the leadership contest Monday to throw his support to Ignatieff, seconded Rae’s motion.

Dion, whose accelerated resignation as leader cleared the way for Ignatieff’s coronation, joined the former rivals in appealing to the fractious party to unite and rally behind their new leader.

"There’s a unity and strength in our caucus that I’ve never seen before," said MP Mark Holland. "I think there’s a whole new day for our party."

The Vancouver convention was supposed to be the culmination of a six-month leadership contest. But the party short-circuited the process in a stampede to stabilize its leadership before heading into a potential parliamentary showdown over the budget.

Some Liberal MPs appear more enthusiastic about pursuing the coalition than their new leader is.

Holland said the coalition is "very much a viable option" that Liberals will be more likely to adopt if the Conservatives unleash a series of personal attack ads against Ignatieff.

"If they keep pouring poison into Parliament and keep spitting vitriol, I see it as very unlikely that they have a very long future in this Parliament," Holland said.

Dion, who negotiated the coalition deal with the NDP, said its fate is now in Ignatieff’s hands. But he added: "I strongly support it."

Well Iggy is putting the boots to the current system right off the bat... good on him.

Although I still ain't gonna vote Liberal.

 

[iARTthere4iam]

Finally the Liberals have a leader. I am so glad that Rae opted out, he was far too set on the coalition. I would never have guessed that he would leave the race of his own accord.

Now government can continue based on the conservatives spend-fest...er, budget. and the economy can be on the front burner.

You didn't really think the conservatives would give up power that easilly did you?

 

[Praxius]

Finally the Liberals have a leader. I am so glad that Rae opted out, he was far too set on the coalition. I would never have guessed that he would leave the race of his own accord.

Now government can continue based on the conservatives spend-fest...er, budget. and the economy can be on the front burner.

You didn't really think the conservatives would give up power that easilly did you?

Well they already said they wouldn't..... and with the Liberals as being the main opposition, it wouldn't suprise me if they bent over backwards and did what the Conservatives want them to like they always have.... with or without iggy.

What can I say? I don't have much faith in the whole system anymore, but I'll at least see how Iggy holds up in the next little while.

 

[Socrates the Greek]

Harper's Senate plan blasted


Harper will go down in the Canadian political history as the most spiteful, divisive and polarizing loser in the House of Commons ever.

What a joke, Brian Mulroney stuffed the senate like a thanks giving turkey in order to pass the GST because the opposition to the GST across the country was huge, and being Mulroney had no balls at the time to legislate the GST he borrowed the unqualified senators balls to show strength of agreement in the house.
Today chicken cowered Harper he feels inferior in the House of Commons and ran behind the GG skirt to avoid defeat.

Today Harper wants to reform the senate when in fact constitutionally being in the crisis Parliament is in he doesn’t have the constitutional right to appoint Con SENATORS @ $130.000 A YEAR TIMES 18 = $2.340.000 MILLION OF TAX PAYER MONEY when the country is hurting financially and people do not know if they will have a home to go to next year…..
While midget brain Doug Finley Conservative national campaign chairman sent out a fundraising letter slamming the Liberal party for short-circuiting its leadership selection process and quickly installing Ignatieff before party members could cast ballots. Finley called it a "stunning and unprecedented demonstration of Liberal contempt for our democratic rights."

Get these mega hypocrite losers out of office they will do irreversible damage to Canada.

 

[Risus]

soc, do you have to post the same crap on more than one thread??????????????

 

[Socrates the Greek]

soc, do you have to post the same crap on more than one thread??????????????

Great observation Risus
....

 

[Risus]

Great observation Risus
....

At least you admit its crap!!! :lol:

 

[Socrates the Greek]

At least you admit its crap!!! :lol:

Your words do not set the stage Risus, Olive branch Risus..with olives and leafs not a bare branch ..................



THE LIBERALS ARE COMING

 

[Risus]

Your words do not set the stage Risus, Olive branch Risus..with olives and leafs not a bare branch ..................

http://thechronicleherald.ca/photos/xlarge/12-11-08_ign.jpg

THE LIBERALS ARE COMING

LOL, they can come and they will go, like your hero dion....

Anyway you haven't denied your last post was crap! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Socrates the Greek]

LOL, they can come and they will go, like your hero dion....

Anyway you haven't denied your last post was crap! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Risus you have no idea who my heroes are, you can be sure my heroes
are not anything the likes of your heroes and don’t take that as a complement, it isn’t.........Your Hero believes in cheating while he claims to be Snow White and he is not, like Danny Williams a fellow politician to Harper and Danny calls Harper a fraud.

 

[Risus]

Risus you have no idea who my heroes are, you can be sure my heroes
are not anything the likes of your heroes and don’t take that as a complement, it isn’t.........Your Hero believes in cheating while he claims to be Snow White and he is not, like Danny Williams a fellow politician to Harper and Danny calls Harper a fraud.

LOL, what BS....

Anyway, I thought the majority said 'Adieus' to you....

 

[Socrates the Greek]

LOL, what BS....

Anyway, I thought the majority said 'Adieus' to you....

Nice cheap shot

 

[Risus]

Nice cheap shot

LOL.... :lol: :lol:

 

[Walter]

THE LIBERALS ARE COMING

Harper Tories keep big lead in poll


Dec 13, 2008 11:16 AM



Reuters

Canada's ruling Conservatives would win a strong majority in Parliament if elections were held today, according to a poll showing the new leader of the opposition Liberals has done little to boost public support.
Canadians favour the Conservatives over the Liberals by 45 per cent to 26 per cent, an Ipsos Reid poll showed. The New Democrats (NDP) had the backing of 12 per cent.
The 19-point lead for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's party is only slightly narrower than what the Conservatives enjoyed in a Ipsos Reid poll released Dec. 5, before the Liberals replaced the unpopular Stephane Dion with Michael Ignatieff.
The Conservatives, whose minority government was returned to power in Oct. 14 elections with 37.6 per cent of the vote, would need at least 40 per cent to win a majority of the seats in the House of Commons, political analysts say.
Dion, who led the Liberals to one of their worst election defeats in history, bowed to pressure within his party to step down this week, instead of in May, clearing the way for Ignatieff to take the reins Wednesday,
The switch follows Harper's decision to suspend Parliament rather than face a no-confidence vote by opposition parties over his budget proposals.
The opposition's threat to vote down the government when the House reconvenes in late January has raised the prospects of fresh elections or the formation of a Liberal-NDP coalition government supported by the separatist Bloc Quebecois.
The latest poll, conducted for Canwest News Service and Global National, shows most Canadians would prefer neither of those options. Almost two-thirds of the respondents said they would prefer that Ignatieff find a compromise with Harper to keep the Conservatives in power.
On Friday, Harper held his first meeting with Ignatieff since the former Harvard don assumed the Liberal leadership. The two talked about the economy and the upcoming budget, a Liberal spokesman said.
Opposition parties want the Conservatives to move aggressively to stimulate the economy in the face of the global financial crisis. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he would hold talks on the budget with senior Liberals Monday.
Ipsos Reid conducted telephone interviews with 1,001 adults from Tuesday through Thursday. The results are considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times in 20.

 

[Colpy]

I think Canadians are playing very coy with Mr. Ignatieff.....the Coalition idea was seen (correctly) as handing the Seperatists far too much influence in a national gov't......the Liberals and NDP were climbing in bed with the Devil to save their dollars.

Ignatieff will have to overcome his own baggage.......too much time in the USA, supporter of Republican military adventures, and his own egghead, elitist persona.....and I think that will be easily overcome, compared to his big problem: the Liberal Party "brand"

Right now their "brand" could be easily applied to a company of hookers.....except the hookers would be insulted.

Harper should stand his ground without being too offensive about it......it is a win-win situation.....unless he lets the Liberal dictate his policy.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Source: Kelly McParland: Liberal coalition could make Canada a colony of Quebec - Full Comment
This is from two weeks ago. Still interesting though...

Kelly McParland: Liberal coalition could make Canada a colony of Quebec
Posted: December 01, 2008, 11:50 AM by Kelly McParland

Having been handed a political gift by Stephen Harper, the Liberal party is doubling down instead of pocketing the win. The Prime Minister’s plan to hobble opposition parties by ending their access to taxpayer subsidies has blown up in his face, much as such plans always do when evil geniuses try to take over the world.


The opposition had this thing won: They humiliated Mr. Harper, forced him to back down, and undermined his authority with his own caucus. But rather than accept victory and withdraw with honour, top figures from the NDP and the Liberals spent the weekend conspiring for more. They want to run the whole country, and they apparently don’t care what sort of sham government they have to put together to do it.


In place of the Conservatives we are to be offered a Liberal-led coalition with Stéphane Dion temporarily at its head and a quarter of the cabinet spots occupied by the NDP. That still doesn’t provide enough votes to counter the Conservatives, so it will have to be propped up by the Bloc Québécois to survive. The national government will be dependent on the separatist Bloc to approve all major legislation, in effect making Canada a colony of Quebec.


The three men contending for the leadership of the Liberal party appeared together yesterday to proclaim their willingness to support Mr. Dion for the dubious distinction of leading this sorry grouping, perhaps wisely recognizing the dangers of leading it themselves. They pointed out that the arrangement will just be temporary — the leadership race will continue as before. Mr. Dion is thus considered good enough to lead the country, but not good enough to head the Liberal party.

What’s more, he’s being deputed to lead the country during what may be the most critical six months in living memory, after which he would be dumped for someone else. His would-be successors could very well be sitting in his Cabinet, passing judgement on critical issues, while simultaneously campaigning to unseat this leader as inadequate.


The Liberals apparently believe Canadians will buy into this: an unstable government beholden to a separatist party for its survival, led by a man who was repudiated by voters less than two months ago, who will be given the reins through a critical period in the national history and then replaced with somebody to be identified later.


It doesn’t say much for the judgement of any of the three candidates vying to replace Mr. Dion. It suggests they have concluded it is better to sacrifice Mr. Dion and the interests of the country rather than sacrifice their own ambitions. If Mr. Dion fails in his rescue mission, presumably the coalition will fail as well; if he succeeds, why would we want to replace him with an untested successor?


Whether Governor-General Michaëlle Jean will allow it is an arresting question. The opposition has every right to defeat the government and try to replace it, but a grouping so unstable, unwieldy and beneficial to the cause of the separatists, headed by a temporary figure who lacks even the confidence of his own party, can hardly be said to be in the best interests of the country.
National Post

 

[Risus]

I think Canadians are playing very coy with Mr. Ignatieff.....the Coalition idea was seen (correctly) as handing the Seperatists far too much influence in a national gov't......the Liberals and NDP were climbing in bed with the Devil to save their dollars.

Ignatieff will have to overcome his own baggage.......too much time in the USA, supporter of Republican military adventures, and his own egghead, elitist persona.....and I think that will be easily overcome, compared to his big problem: the Liberal Party "brand"

Right now their "brand" could be easily applied to a company of hookers.....except the hookers would be insulted.

Harper should stand his ground without being too offensive about it......it is a win-win situation.....unless he lets the Liberal dictate his policy.

No, its jackass layton he can't listen to...

 

[Ron in Regina]

I'm still predicting:

-January 27th, Harper introduces his budget, and it's fantastic...it spills cash
in all of the right directions in such a quantity that nobody can argue about it at all...

-Tacked onto the end of that budget it the "dump the $1.95/Party/Vote" Pork Barrel.

-The Liberals & Bloc & NDP overthrow the Conservative Government over that
budget.

-Harper goes to the GG, explains that the budget had everything in it that everyone
wanted, and he was still voted down, making the budget irrelevant to the Coalition.

-The GG calls another Election. The GG's advisor still being the PM.

-Canada can see that the only reason the budget was turned down was to suck $$$
out'a their pockets in Pork Barrel $1.95/Party/Vote funds in tough financial times...

-Harper wins a Majority...the NDP becomes almost non-existent...the Liberals and
the Bloc wonder just what the Heck happened for the next four years...the 300 million
for the election is seen as a bargin compared to a Government lead by this unholy
Coalition having to purchase the Bloc's Loyalty at every vote, at the expence of the
financial health of the rest of the Country. But I could be wrong...

 

[Risus]

Harper will win a majority anyway... thats how the poles are leaning.

 

[L Gilbert]

Poles? People from Poland? Or do you mean the long slender things that hold up tents? lol
Anyway, my opinion of Ignatieff is that he is just another misleading, conniving, mildly intelligent liberal. Like any other politician, he is not to be trusted.