BQ would defeat Harper minority over abortion

[maplesyrup]

BQ would defeat Harper minority over abortion

Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Québécois, the only major party leader to take part in substantial public activities on Saturday, said his party would bring down a minority Conservative government if it tried to abolish the right of Canadian women to have an abortion.

This is the third major line in the sand Duceppe has drawn, in a week that saw him promise to rally his MPs to defeat the Conservatives unless they adopted the Kyoto Accord on climate change and provided financial help for Quebec's aerospace industries.

"The position of the Bloc is that we can not ignore the rights of women in order to keep our seats," Duceppe told reporters following his campaign in Gatineau, Que., just across the border from Ottawa.

"I will not accept that the Conservatives abolish the right to abortion."

Stephen Harper is really making a name for himself, eh?

[BigGunner]

Duceppe just wants a headline or two.

[takeanumber]

Who doesn't?

[August1991]

This abortion line in the sand is largely irrelevant. Duceppe would prefer a Tory win and I suspect he's saying this to reassure any nervous Ontario women Tory voters.

The line in the sand that really matters is the aeronautics industry subsidy to Bombardier.

I don't know why Duceppe is doing this. He's simply boxing himself in for no reason. He's going to win the seats anyway.

One work around for Harper would be to include the money as a part of a fiscal imbalance package and then let the provincial (Charest) government dole the pork out.

Harper will have a strong interest in getting an organization on the ground in Quebec, possibly though the ADQ, so that the BQ begins to fear an election.

[maplesyrup]

Maybe unlike the Harper Conservatives, Duceppe's Bloc Quebecois believes in abortion rights for women.

Is the Harper Conservative approach on these social issues starting to backfire on them? On these issues Harper seem to be out of touch with most Canadians.

The Harper Conservatives seem to have been on the defensive in the last few days. Anyone else notice this?

[Michael Hardner]

Duceppe would prefer a Tory win

Really ? Why ?

It seems to me Martin would have much more leeway to deal with the Bloc than Harper.

[August1991]

It seems to me Martin would have much more leeway to deal with the Bloc than Harper.

Martin will be able to deal with neither. The only hope for a Liberal minority is if the NDP holds the balance of power. Given current polls, that will not be the case.

The BQ and Liberals are like the NDP and Tories on this forum. Cats and dogs.

In fact, this means that Martin will not be able to form a survivable minority government even if tries to - and the GG lets him.

The BQ will support the Tories, however. And they'll have to at first because there is no way Quebecers will tolerate another election so soon.

Bear in mind that the BQ wants independence - although Duceppe will downplay this in the English debate. (On my French forum, every single thread breaks down to that debate.) The BQ believes there is more chance of that if there is an Anglo PM leading a Tory party.

As it is, the BQ can almost say they represent French Quebec.

[maplesyrup]

It seems to me Martin would have much more leeway to deal with the Bloc than Harper.

Martin will be able to deal with neither. The only hope for a Liberal minority is if the NDP holds the balance of power. Given current polls, that will not be the case.

In fact, this means that Martin will not be able to form a survivable minority government even if tries to - and the GG lets him.

The BQ will support the Tories, however. And they'll have to at first because there is no way Quebecers will tolerate another election so soon.

Bear in mind that the BQ wants independence - although Duceppe will downplay this in the English debate. (On my French forum, every single thread breaks down to that debate.) The BQ believes there is more chance of that if there is an Anglo PM leading a Tory party.

As it is, the BQ can almost say they represent French Quebec.

The only people releasing seat projections in the press are the party hacks playing their, attempt to manipulate, silly games. Seat projection forecasts are the just the journalist's way of filling in the copy around the ads, and trying to keep the voter's interest, until the big day. Everyone knows with such a close horserace, there is no way pollsters can accurately forecast the seats. But I guess they make it fun for some.

Actually the Liberals and the Conservatives will probably be the two parties that will work together after the election, as they have more in common with each other, just like the Bloc Quebecois and the New Democrats are closest to each other.

Before it is all over, it appears like we will be looking at a Liberal minority government. I think that is what most Canadians want as well.

Good on Duceppe's honesty to put his party's position on abortion out there for all to see.

Fortunately we are years away, if ever again, from any more Quebec referendums, so separation is not an issue.

JacK Layton and Paul Martin are quite fluent in French, do you think this puts Stephen Harper at a big disadvantage? What's Harper doing today, taking French lessons?

Jack being trilingual, English, French, and Cantonese, is a great Canadian role model. Do you know if Jack speaks other languages as well? This is the kind of Canadian image that appeals to me.

[Argus]

Is the Harper Conservative approach on these social issues starting to backfire on them?  On these issues Harper seem to be out of touch with most Canadians.

Not according to the polls. Not just the ones on present voter intentions, but the polls on the subject of abortion.

[maplesyrup]

Argus....if you get a chance read the Blue-State Nation to the North article as the journalist knows Canada well.

A different perspective than yours, perhaps.