The sole Liberal party MP from Saskatchewan was in Saskatoon Saturday for a lunch with supporters and party members.
Ralph Goodale, deputy Opposition leader and a former federal finance minister, spoke to a crowd of more than 70 people at the Delta Bessborough before the annual meeting of the Liberal party’s Saskatchewan branch.
The vast majority of Goodale’s speech was spent criticizing the Conservative government and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, with Goodale saying the recent recession is not to blame for the federal deficit.
"Mr. Harper’s deficit began before, not because of, the recession," he said.
Goodale also criticized the Harper government’s decision to "consume all the nation’s fiscal flexibility in three big, expensive, risky areas," listing the $30-billion federal investment in fighter jets, $10 billion in "new costs for U.S.-style mega-jails," and $6 billion a year in extra corporate tax cuts.
He closed his speech with what sounded like an electoral call to arms.
"We cannot let Stephen Harper win the next election by default. We must be prepared to stand and fight," said Goodale.
Talk of a possible federal election is rife leading up to Tuesday’s federal budget, but despite the strong rhetoric in his speech Goodale acknowledged that just when or if an election will be called is hard to predict.
"The campaign is beginning to gain momentum, but it doesn’t officially, or legally, begin until there is in fact a confidence vote in the House of Commons and we’ll see where that goes in the next number of days and weeks," he said.
"I think in this game, it’s just impossible to predict."
He acknowledged that the Conservatives’ budget has the potential to bring down the government, but he was unwilling to say how the Liberals might vote on the budget
Goodale was adamant, however, that Harper would be responsible for any election that occurs, even if it comes from rejection of the budget.
"If an election happens, it will be exclusively for one reason: Because Stephen Harper made it happen," he said.
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