Dion will lead coalition government

[mobes]

Globe and Mail Update and Canadian Press

December 1, 2008 at 2:02 PM EST

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion will be prime minister of an unprecedented coalition government if Parliament defeats the Conservatives next week.

Liberal MPs announced the decision after a caucus meeting to review plans for the coalition, which reportedly include a pledge to pump billions of dollars into the economy

The three opposition leaders are drafting a letter to Governor-General Michaëlle Jean in which they formally call on her to allow the formation of a coalition government if the Conservatives are defeated on a confidence motion Dec. 8.

Opposition sources said Monday the drafting of the letter is at an advanced stage, and will be made public with the agreement of the leadership of the Liberal Party, the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois.

The goal is to inform Ms. Jean that a viable alternative to the current government exists within the current Parliament, in the form of a coalition between the Liberal Party and the NDP. The Bloc is expected to promise to support the coalition to survive for at least a year, which would allow for the passage of two budgets.

"We've decided that the only person and the best person to lead and form a coalition government is the elected leader of our party ... Stéphane Dion," said leadership hopeful Dominic LeBlanc.

"We are comfortable with that, we support that and we think that's right."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has raised doubts about the legitimacy of a coalition government, and is expected to urge Ms. Jean to call an election in the event of a defeat in the House.

The opposition letter, in that context, is designed to persuade Ms. Jean to reject the Tory push to send Canada to the polls for a second time in three months.

"She has to be ready to say 'no' to Mr. Harper's request to call an election," an opposition strategist said. "We want to demonstrate that the new Prime Minister would have the confidence of the House."

On Friday, Mr. Harper went before television cameras to slam a potential Stéphane Dion-led government as illegitimate because he lost the Oct. 14 election.

But the Liberals and NDP said those arguments were undercut by Mr. Harper's 2004 letter to then-governor-general Adrienne Clarkson, which requested that she turn to him if Paul Martin's newly elected government were defeated in the Commons.

"We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority," the 2004 letter stated.

Over the weekend, the Liberals and NDP reached a deal to bring down the Conservative government and form an unprecedented coalition to take its place that would include cabinet seats for both parties — 18 Liberals and six NDP.

The two parties held emergency caucus meetings Monday to lay out the plan under which the Tories would lose power to Canada's first coalition government in 91 years.

The key question of who would lead the first coalition government of modern times remained unsettled, as Liberals differed over whether Mr. Dion should take over as interim prime minister, or a new leader be chosen — and leadership contenders Michael Ignatieff, Bob Rae and Dominic LeBlanc met Sunday to discuss how to proceed.

That meeting took place against the backdrop of frantic efforts to avert the downfall of the Conservatives, who announced they will withdraw measures that would have banned civil-service strikes for three years and eliminated the $1.95-a-vote subsidy for political parties, which the opposition relies on.

The Tories also unveiled a surreptitiously recorded tape of a New Democratic Party caucus meeting, alleging it showed a long-existing cabal with the Bloc Québécois to defeat the government — and there were rumours that as a last resort, Mr. Harper might seek to prorogue Parliament, ending the session to avoid defeat in the Commons.

With reports from Brian Laghi and Campbell Clark

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[mobes]

WTF IS THIS??? DID I GET HIT OVER THE HEAD WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER AND WAKE UP IN ISRAEL???

[Ralph Furely]

yea this is pretty crazy stuff

[Free Truth]

Good video on Canada's mess! 'WHO k i l l e d CANADA?':

 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 5967998175

"Free trade" is KILLING Canada!

[Anonymous]

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada ... id=1016916

That may yet happen but Mr. Ignatieff has the support of the vast majority of the Liberal caucus - more than 50 of 77 members - and the mood among many Grits is that Mr. Dion is unacceptable as a potential Prime Minister because he was defeated in an election so recently.

...

It is understood that Mr. Ignatieff was reluctant to sign on unless he was named interim leader.

Prior to the deal being struck, sources close to Mr. Ignatieff said he was unlikely to support the deal because of concerns that a coalition government led by Mr. Dion would be a "poisoned chalice" for the next leader.

Just an other distraction for the masses.  Another part of the game.  "Don't focus on important issues like the hungry, the poor, THE ECONOMIC SHIT HOLE we are headed into, THE WAR!!!!  Just pay attention to us bitches fuck with your minds".  LOL