OTTAWA – With an election campaign likely to begin officially on Saturday, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has declared it’s time for Canadian voters to pass judgment on the Conservative government – but is sidestepping questions over whether he’s prepared to form a coalition government with other opposition parties.
By comparison, NDP leader Jack Layton made it clear Wednesday that he’s not so skittish about publicly discussing a coalition, which Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to use as political ammunition in the upcoming campaign.
Layton said he expects Harper to engage in fear-mongering during the campaign. But he noted that in 2004 he and Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe were approached by Harper, who was then opposition leader, about a similar issue.
The idea was to ensure that the governor general knew if then-prime minister Paul Martin was defeated in the Commons, the opposition parties had been in discussions and that the Tories could form a government without the requirement of an election.
Eventually, a letter signed by all three leaders was sent to Adrienne Clarkson, saying that they had been in "close consultation."
Similarly, said Layton, he won’t be averse to working with another opposition leader in the next Parliament to accomplish common objectives.
"I will reach out to other parties," he said. "I will reach out and say: ‘Who is willing to work with us on the issues that we took to Canadians and that they’ve given us a mandate to pursue?’ "
The issue could be key to how the campaign will unfold since Harper has already made it clear that he intends to raise the spectre of a Liberal-NDP-Bloc Quebecois coalition as a post-election threat.
In a recent interview with Postmedia News, Harper said he is convinced that if he is held to another minority government on election night, the opposition parties will try to form a coalition "the day after" – even before they are given a chance to defeat the government on a non-confidence vote in the Commons.
"They will deny it every day of the campaign," said Harper. "The day after, they’ll do it."
Ignatieff revealed on Wednesday that his party has tabled a motion of non-confidence in the Conservative government.
MPs will vote on the motion Friday and all three opposition parties will support it, leading to the defeat of the government.
Once that happens, Harper will visit Gov. Gen. David Johnston on Saturday to seek the dissolution of Parliament so an election can be held.
It’s expected Harper will opt for the minimum length for a campaign, meaning voters likely will go to the polls May 2.
"We believe that the moment has come for Canadians to make a choice here between responsible, progressive, compassionate choices by the Liberal Party of Canada, or the irresponsible and undemocratic path of that the Conservative government has taken this country on," said Ignatieff.
Although the Liberals are trailing badly in the polls, Ignatieff said his caucus is keen to get out on the hustings and is "optimistic" about the election outcome.
"The good thing about a campaign is that you address the boss. The boss is the voter. This isn’t up to the pundits. This isn’t up to the pollsters. This isn’t up to the experts. This is up to the hardworking people who are the heart and soul in this country."
When asked if he’s prepared to form a coalition, Ignatieff replied by saying voters have a choice between the "blue door" (the Conservatives) and the "red door" (the Liberals).
"I’m here to form a Liberal government with this incredibly talented caucus. That is the only game that I am, or will be, playing."
When pressed further at the news conference about whether he is prepared to accept the verdict of voters if they elect a minority Conservative government, Ignatieff returned to his previous answer.
"There’s a blue door. There’s a red door. We’re going to form a Liberal government. Is that clear enough for you?" Ignatieff then abruptly ended the news conference and walked off.
Minutes before Ignatieff’s comments, Harper stood at the same spot in the foyer of the House of Commons to deliver his own carefully crafted statement.
He criticized the opposition parties for threatening an unnecessary election, recited many of the initiatives in the budget and called on his opponents to stand down.
"The parties of the opposition have a choice to make between two priorities: their ambition to have an unnecessary election or important measures to support Canadians and the Canadian economy.
"Our economy is not a political game," said Harper. "The global recovery is still fragile. Relative to other nations, Canada’s economic recovery has been strong, but its continuation is by no means assured."
Once a campaign begins, Harper is expected to spend five weeks touting the proposals in his budget, including increased Guaranteed Income Supplements for low-income seniors, a renewed ecoEnergy home-retrofit program and tax credits for family members who provide care for their sick parents, spouses or children.
The family-caregiver tax credit came after the Liberals promised several months ago to assist family caregivers.
Ignatieff said he’s not worried the Tories’ promise will overshadow his own party’s plan.
"I will welcome a line-by-line comparison of the Liberal family-care plan and the miserable imitation that has been offered by the Conservative government. You can either buy the knock-off bag, or you can buy the real article. And that’s what we will say on the doorsteps."
Layton said he wishes Harper would agree to further compromises.
"It is unfortunate because I think what Canadians would prefer to see is an effort to say, ‘Ok folks why don’t you go in a room, roll up your sleeves and see if you can’t work something out together?’"
Duceppe said Harper has not delivered on his party’s main condition – $2.2 billion for Quebec to compensate it for harmonizing its tax with the federal sales tax.
"They gave $4.3 billion to Ontario, $1.6 billion to B.C and sweet nothing for Quebec. And we just cannot accept that."
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