Jack Layton To The Rescue Once Again

[bigdude]

Canada's minority Liberals get some breathing room

The opposition party that is propping up Canada's minority Liberal government rowed back on Monday on a threat to withdraw its support if budget legislation is not passed before the summer holidays.

The shift in position by New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jack Layton gives a little more breathing room to Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin, who on May 19 narrowly escaped being forced into an early summer election.

Layton's left-leaning party agreed in April to support Martin in return for more billions of dollars in new spending and the elimination of some corporate tax cuts as long as the budget legislation was passed "expeditiously."

On May 20, Layton said there would "likely be a real problem of confidence" and he would reevaluate his agreement with the Liberals if the budget bills were not adopted before the summer break, scheduled for June 23.

Asked by a reporter on Monday if that were still the case, he was more nuanced.

"Part of it is going to depend on whose fault it is," said Layton, suggesting he would cut the Liberals more slack if the opposition Conservatives or Bloc Quebecois delayed passage of the bills, now before a parliamentary finance committee.

The Liberal government lost its majority in Parliament in the June 2004 general election and would be forced to seek an election if it lost a vote on a straightforward confidence motion or on budget legislation, also a confidence matter.

There is a possibility Parliament will debate a non-confidence motion from the Conservatives, the largest opposition party, on Tuesday but that likelihood was seen as small on Monday.

The Conservatives have the right to choose what motion Parliament will debate on Tuesday, but strategists said it was much more likely to choose a motion on an inquiry into allegations of Liberal corruption which, though embarrassing, would not bring the government down if passed.

Conservative leaders have said that unless some member of Parliament indicated he would change sides, there was no point in pushing another confidence vote so soon after their one-vote loss on May 19.

In fact, barring a political bombshell or the death of one of the government's supporters, it looked like the government is safe at least until the autumn.

The other party opposing the Liberals in Parliament, the separatist Bloc Quebecois, held out the slender possibility that it could vote for the budget legislation -- but only if it met Bloc demands which the Liberals have rejected in the past, for example on employment insurance.

Sure looks like the Conservatives are beginning to be isolated. First it was the big chill by the Canadian electorate in the latest Decima poll released this weekend, and now possibly by the only party left in the House that will do business with them, the Bloc.

[I miss Reagan]

I actually think Layton is a good man. I think he's sincere, he believes in his cause, and he wants to make a difference. He obviously isn't power hungry otherwise he'd be a Liberal. Although I'll never understand how any sane person could embrace socialism, I think Captain Jack wants to do some good. This is the difference between us righties and you lefties on the board. You practically claim Harper is the devil himself, and refuse to acknowledge any positive attributes. Ad hominem is your weapon of choice. In Canada, this tactic is working.

[Black Dog]

I actually think Layton is a good man. I think he's sincere, he believes in his cause, and he wants to make a difference. He obviously isn't power hungry otherwise he'd be a Liberal. Although I'll never understand how any sane person could embrace socialism, I think Captain Jack wants to do some good. This is the difference between us righties and you lefties on the board. You practically claim Harper is the devil himself, and refuse to acknowledge any positive attributes.

Thing is, Harper's positive attributes (whatever they may be) are obscured by his total lack of charm. I won't say he's the devil, but he is a stuffy wonk, a backroom politician who lacks the human touch. It has nothing to do with hi sbeliefs either. Manning came off as a genuine man of the people and even Ralph Klein has a certain boorish charisma. Harper is non eof thos ethings. He just seems so....stiff. Consequntially, its hard to tell if he has any strength behind his stated convictions.