Thread: Canada's opposition parties continue talks to topple governm

Canada's opposition parties continue talks to topple government

TORONTO (AP) — Canada's opposition parties say talks to topple the government are progressing well and that moves by the government to thwart their efforts aren't working.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government continued to reverse itself on Sunday by scrapping a second element of its contentious economic update and moving up the federal budget date in a frantic bid to save itself from being toppled.

Harper's Conservatives won enough votes in the Oct. 14 election to stay in power, but did not win a majority of parliament's 308 seats and must rely on opposition support to pass budgets and legislation.

Opposition Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois have been discussing forming a coalition government despite last month's vote, arguing Harper has no solid plan to deal with the global economic crisis.

On Sunday the government backed off plans to ban government service strikes and said it will move up what was expected to be a February or March budget to Jan. 27.

New Democrat lawmaker Thomas Muclair also said the talks are going extremely well and that the separatist Bloc from the french-speaking province of Quebec will back the coalition government run by the Liberals and New Democrats.

The Liberals and New Democrats disagree on Canada's involvement in the war in Afghanistan but it won't prevent them from governing, Muclair said. The left-of-center New Democrats oppose the war.

Canada's Conservative government had earlier withdrawn a contentious political funding proposal. The proposal would have scrapped public subsidies for political parties. The opposition relies on the subsidies far more than the Conservative party. Analysts say Harper made major a misstep by proposing it because the opposition has now united to topple him.

The Liberals said they are considering introducing a motion declaring no confidence in the minority Conservative government. A Harper defeat on such a vote could set the stage for another election or give the opposition a chance to form a government.

The prime minister delayed any possible votes that could topple his government until Dec. 8.

Harper has criticized the opposition moves as an effort to take power without facing the voters. He's also defended his response to the economic crisis, saying he had acted to keep taxes low and that in the next couple of months his party will introduce a budget that will includes a stimulus package.

But his finance minister declined to release details in his fiscal update last week. The Conservatives did announce they would cut government spending and sell government

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008 ... tion_N.htm

Mexico has a civil war and Canada has people trying to topple the government. That puts us in the middle of a big mess.

At least they are trying to rein in their corrupt governments while we sit around and let them ruin our country both inside and out.

Wasn't Harper just recently in talks with Bush and Calderon to form the North American Union, aka the Security and Prosperity Partnership? While that is a barf-point for me, I see the Canadian parties are taking some action. Of course, our Congress has to go home for the holidays.