Coalition: September 2004, December 2008 & Now

[Bryan]

More Harper lies. Does Prime Minister Harper ever tell the truth? Contemptible.

Actually, it's Duceppe that is lying. From the press conference that produced that very letter in 2004:

“In no way we are a coalition and we won’t be a coalition.”

-Gilles Duccepe

[WWWTT]

I'm sorry. Where did you ever get the impression that I was a Tory supporter?

Your a victim of making arguments that put the tories in a good light when they are clearly guilty of contempt among other things.

If you want to continue these borderline arguments thats fine with me.I need you to to sharpen my skills.

WWWTT

[Jack Weber]

Actually, it's Duceppe that is lying. From the press conference that produced that very letter in 2004:

“In no way we are a coalition and we won’t be a coalition.”

-Gilles Duccepe

Yet when Mr.Ignatief says no to a coalition this morning,you question it??

[capricorn]

The NDP want to dismantle the conservatives and assimulate their seats.The writtings on the wall man.Open your eyes!Open your ears!

The NDP is not doing the Liberals any favour by repeating they would be open to entering into a coalition pact. And the NDP base is not averse to this because they know they won't form government; it's their only route to a Cabinet seat. This NDP commitment could be enough to have Liberal swing voters run to the Conservatives. If anything, it looks to me Layton wants to dismantle the Liberals, not the Conservatives.

[Shakeyhands]

Yet when Mr.Ignatief says no to a coalition this morning,you question it??

They have nothing else. Besides the coalition talk, and the fact that Ignatieff lived and worked outside of Canada.

Take those two things away, the focus might well be on what crappy fiscal managers the CPC and their contempt for Parliament and by extension Canadians. Why would they not try to obfusticate their own issues?

[Bryan]

Yet when Mr.Ignatief says no to a coalition this morning,you question it??

Ignatieff has repeatedly said he is in favour of a coalition, and he signed the formal agreement. Since then, he's changed his mind back and forth several times.

Harper, on the other hand, has never said anything other than "no" to a coalition.

So yes, I question what Igatieff is saying now.

[g_bambino]

Ignatieff has repeatedly said he is in favour of a coalition, and he signed the formal agreement.

What "formal agreement"?

[capricorn]

Ignatieff has repeatedly said he is in favour of a coalition, and he signed the formal agreement. Since then, he's changed his mind back and forth several times.

If he's serious, wouldn't it be a great photo op if he was to tear up the coalition letter in front of reporters. Especially that the coalition letter does in fact have a sunset date of June 2011.

[Jack Weber]

Ignatieff has repeatedly said he is in favour of a coalition, and he signed the formal agreement. Since then, he's changed his mind back and forth several times.

Harper, on the other hand, has never said anything other than "no" to a coalition.

So yes, I question what Igatieff is saying now.

Could you point ot this formal agreement??

Because,if you recall,once Dion was given the boot,any thought of a coalition was dead under Ignatieff...

We do have a letter signed by Mr.Duceppe,Mr.Layton,and,Mr.Harper from 2004 for that essentially says that a coalition of those three leaders and their party's was a constitutional reality...

[ToadBrother]

Ignatieff has repeatedly said he is in favour of a coalition, and he signed the formal agreement. Since then, he's changed his mind back and forth several times.

You have a faulty memory. The deal was signed by Dion, not Iggy. Iggy repudiated it once he became leader.

[Harry]

Stephen Harper believes in democracy for himself but not for others. Nice!

It's just a matter of time until the media do a number on him.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

'Coalition' battle kicks off campaign

Stephen Harper clearly tried to seize power through a coalition agreement after coming second to Paul Martin's Liberals in 2004, Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe charged Saturday at the start of Canada's 41st federal election campaign.

Duceppe held up the letter to the Governor General he said Harper signed as Official Opposition leader to Martin's government.

Duceppe and Layton say they got together with Harper and drafted the letter to tell then-governor general Adrienne Clarkson that Harper was prepared to form a government if Martin lost the confidence of the House of Commons.

"He finished second in that election," Duceppe said in French. "If he says that's undemocratic, well, that's exactly what he was asking for. So let's not play games with history. He has to take responsibility."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/03/26/cv-writ-response.html

[Jack Weber]

Stephen Harper believes in democracy for himself but not for others. Nice!

It's just a matter of time until the media do a number on him.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

I'm watching the contemptuous,duplicitous liar in a clip of the 2004 press conference right now...

[Harry]

Harper is caught in the big lie here, and is going to get his hide nailed to the wall over this. The opposition parties ought to run some ads over Harper's coalition hypocrisy.

Duceppe is hilarious - asked by a reporter if he thinks Harper lost the letter Harper signed to work with with Duceppe and Layton, Duceppe brandishing a copy of it, says he will send him one.

Edited March 26, 2011 by Harry

[Jack Weber]

Harper is caught in a huge lie here - the PM is going to get his hide nailed to the wall over this.

Just watched Duceppe say in English...Afetr being asked if Harper lost the 2004 SIGNED letter

"If he lost it,I'll send him a copy!"...

Perfect!!!!

[Shakeyhands]

I'm watching the contemptuous,duplicitous liar in a clip of the 2004 press conference right now...

Have a link?

[Jack Weber]

Have a link?

It was on the 5 o'clock news on CeeB Newsworld...

I'm thinkin' it'll be replayed..

[Bryan]

You have a faulty memory. The deal was signed by Dion, not Iggy. Iggy repudiated it once he became leader.

Ignatieff signed it too. He also very specifically said on his coronation day; "I'm prepared to form a coalition government and to lead that government".

[Harry]

Ignatieff signed it too. He also very specifically said on his coronation day; "I'm prepared to form a coalition government and to lead that government".

Link please - thanks.

[Harry]

In the meantime while we are waiting here's the letter that Harper signed to get in bed with those rotten separatists and those dirty socialists.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/text-stephen-harpers-2004-letter-signed-layton-duceppe-20110326-075423-457.html

Edited March 26, 2011 by Harry

[Scotty]

In the meantime while we are waiting here's the letter that Harper signed to get in bed with those rotten separatists and those dirty socialists.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/text-stephen-harpers-2004-letter-signed-layton-duceppe-20110326-075423-457.html

May I observe that it does not appear to be signed at all?

[blueblood]

The cpc will get to beat the grits with this coalition issue like a baby seal. There's the photo op, iggy's signature, iggy's "coalition if necessary but not necessarily a coalition" professor mumbo jumbo. Duceppe can piSs and moan all he wants about 2004 but if he can't bring up documentation, harper can call bs all he wants. And by documentation I mean the terms of the coalition involving cabinet appointments et. Al.

Then there's "contempt of parliament". According to the book, the cpc was technically "in contempt". However when the majority of your jurors belong to organizations bent on removing you, there is a credibility issue that canadians will start to see. That's why jurors with bias are punted in courts of law. Had there been a way for ther to be independent non biased people making judgements in that regard, the cpc wouldn't have a leg to stand on, however due to the system, they have another plank in their crooked coalition marketing campaign.

The opposition and the tories are using every trick in the book, unfortunately the opposition sucks at marketing.

[ToadBrother]

Then there's "contempt of parliament". According to the book, the cpc was technically "in contempt". However when the majority of your jurors belong to organizations bent on removing you, there is a credibility issue that canadians will start to see. That's why jurors with bias are punted in courts of law. Had there been a way for ther to be independent non biased people making judgements in that regard, the cpc wouldn't have a leg to stand on, however due to the system, they have another plank in their crooked coalition marketing campaign.

Parliamentary privilege is not a matter for a court. The constitution has for centuries made that the affair of Parliament alone.

[capricorn]

Because,if you recall,once Dion was given the boot,any thought of a coalition was dead under Ignatieff...

Is the deal really, really dead with Ignatieff as Liberal leader?

Ignatieff would become prime minister and leader of the coalition under an agreement signed by outgoing Liberal chieftain Stephane Dion. But he has made it clear that his enthusiasm for the Liberal-NDP tandem may be waning.

That's led Ignatieff's coalition partner to issue a pointed reminder to the presumed successor to Dion.

The Liberals "have made a commitment to the coalition to get the economy on the right track for Canadian families," NDP Leader Jack Layton said in a prepared statement.

That commitment included Ignatieff's signature on a piece of paper, Layton said.

"Every Liberal and New Democrat member of Parliament has signed a letter to Her Excellency the Governor General stating that they collectively and individually lost confidence in the government and were committed to governing together."

A series of public opinion polls released since Governor General Michaelle Jean's agreement to prorogue Parliament have indicated most Canadians would not favour the coalition assuming power in the circumstances envisioned by the opposition leaders.

Ignatieff appeared to welcome the opportunity to dislodge Harper and the Conservatives during a joint appearance last week with leadership rivals Bob Rae and Dominic LeBlanc.

But the Toronto MP seemed to be channelling Mackenzie King over the weekend when he signalled an evolution in his position, describing his view as a "coalition if necessary, but not necessarily coalition."

Rae, who is highly supportive of the coalition, was preparing to travel coast-to-coast as its chief salesman.

---

Any Liberal-NDP coalition would need the support of the Bloc Quebecois to govern. The Bloc signed a promise to vote with the coalition on all matters of confidence for 18 months.

A prominent BQ MP was calling on Ignatieff to honour the Liberal party's commitment.

Layton and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe wanted the names of all MPs - including all potential Liberal leaders - to sign a proposal for an alternative government when they reached an agreement last week.

"That's why we expect Ignatieff to respect the terms of the deal," said Pierre Paquette, the parliamentary leader of the Bloc Quebecois.

The agreement proposed a multibillion-dollar stimulus package for the troubled economy, including support for the auto and forestry sectors.

"Dion, Rae or Ignatieff - it doesn't make a difference because we have signed a deal with the Liberal Party of Canada, as long as the new Liberal leader respects all the terms of the deal" Paquette said.

The Bloc Quebecois and the NDP say the battle for the proposed coalition will not be over until Parliament resumes on Jan. 26.

"Right now, I don't have a reason to believe that the coalition will not last," said Paquette.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/special/coalition2008/35766049.html

That's an interesting angle. Was the coalition deal made with Dion or the Liberal Party? It's a pertinent question because the pact has a sunset date of June 30, 2011, so if the deal is a Liberal Party deal, the terms are still in effect.

This is probably what is going through Layton's mind, and perhaps Duceppe, and the reason he backs a coalition.

[August1991]

In the meantime while we are waiting here's the letter that Harper signed to get in bed with those rotten separatists and those dirty socialists.

Harper never signed a coalition agreement that determined who would sit at the cabinet table or explicitly required the consent of the Bloc. Harper merely signed a letter addressed to the GG stating that she should consult with opposition leaders, who had consulted with one another, before making any decision.

Ignatieff signed a coalition agreement that gave the NDP 1/4 of seats at the cabinet table and stated that the government would put in place a permanent consultation mechanism with the Bloc.

-----

Anyway Harry, this is Ignatieff's problem now. I'm sure that the NDP and Layton are happy about Ignatieff's academic public musings of the constitutionality of coalition governments.

After all, if Ignatieff accepts the principle of a coalition, then a vote for the NDP amounts to a vote for a coalition government that will keep Harper out of power.

[capricorn]

Link please - thanks.

Here's Ignatieff on youtube.