I see Prime Minister Harper has announced on this Sunday afternoon that he is making an announcement at 10:30 EST tomorrow with Quebec's Prime Minister Jean Charest in Sherbrooke Quebec and then he is off to Trois-Rivieres to "deliver remarks" at 6 pm EST. That is all very elucidating don't you think?
Can’t imagine what all that fuss could possibly be about but it is "open to the media" so it must be of substance. (sic) The unspoken subtext will be the trade off deal has been made to cement an agreement Harper and Charest have come to on election timing in Quebec. Not doubt Harper wants Quebec to go to the polls first. That way he doesn’t have to make promises to Quebec in an earlier federal election that would alienate his base amongst Alberta Reformer/Alliance types and contain promises he would have to deliver on - and be held accountable for in a subsequent Quebec election.
It looks like even the serendipity is fully planned in advance in a Stephen Harper world. I smell a spring election at Harper's behest. He is engineering his defeat...even the Harper rhetoric is that the opposition "will have to account for all the unpassed Bills left on the order paper" if they bring down his government now. That reality sure did not stop him when he defeated Martin and forced a winter election. Lots of Bills of substance have been lost in the swirling winds of time when Harper saw the advantage and forced an election.
It could be the Budget and the debate on it that ticks off the opposition enough to bring down this government. NDP leader Layton is not getting much by way of "atta boys" trying to do to the Harper's budget that he did to Martin's so he is likely ready to pull the pin too. Only the Bloc is likely to be truly hesitant...but then who cares about that.
No inside information on this, I am just reading the entrails of the political rhetoric and the pandering that is going on. I am starting to smell an election.
Ken, I think you are bang on Harper wanting an election as soon as possible after the Quebec provincial election (especially if Charest pulls it off).
ReplyDeleteBut how can the Cons force an election on the budget? I mean, it's going to have a lot of spending as well as many tax cuts. It will address (somehow) the fiscal imbalance with Quebec. How could the LPC vote against that? At the same time, how can they vote for it (or not show up)? It seems like Harper is putting them into a catch-22.
The Bloc will suffer too if the budget is pro-Quebec in terms of spending, prov'l powers, etc.
My prediction is that the NDP and Cons will form a consensus on the Clean Air Act BEFORE the budget (unless the LPC can delay the Act through witnesses). And then the dippers will join in on brining the gov't down on the budget --- perfect timing for the Cons (or so we think).
am betting the NDP don't get what they want in the Budget...they will be promised stuff and then it will not be there...like cash for environment incentives. I can see more social programming cuts that are based on jurisdiction but areas close to Dipper hearts...don't know specifically but my bet is Steve betrays Jack and he forces an election as a result.
ReplyDeleteBut really - this is "prize" winning fiction disquised as punditry...who knows.
yeah, harper will want to prop up Layton in the process - that's why I think the Clean Air Act will give the NDP some hay.
ReplyDeleteHere it is Ken: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2007/02/12/qc-greenmoney20070212.html
ReplyDeleteThis is huge!!! It provides funding not only to Quebec to the entire country while respecting provincial jurisdiction! This what I call action.
Eric..it is surprising in that HArper has spent his career denying environmental problems and now the polls have lead him to spend huge wads of cash on a problem he denies.
ReplyDeleteHArper was often thought to be an ideologue. In fact, he has shown himeslf to be a master schemer intent only on power.
This huge outlay of cash combined with other partisan, vote-getting tactics shows how Harper choosses his political future over making decisions in the best interests of Canadians.
The partisanship when put in the context of the howls that he would do politics diffferently than Mulroney or the Liberals is shockingly hypocritaical. It is this kind of stuff that really turns off the electorate.
The Cons be a green conversion however, action speaks louder than words and $1.5 billion is a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteThat's odd, I thought that $1.5 billion for the environment IS in the best interests of Canada. Can't issues be in Canada's interest as well as within the party's interest? As well, helping Charest win in Quebec is DEFINITELY in Canada's interest.
We'll have to see if that turns off the electorate in the next election. Having said that, the polls are looking pretty good for the Cons.
Dion pushed all of his chips in on the environment - it's too late to pull them back.