Canada: Harper Government Collapses; Election due early May
286 replies, posted
[quote]OTTAWA — The Harper government has been defeated in the House of Commons on a non-confidence motion supported by the opposition, setting the stage for a federal election in early May.
The Liberal motion declared that the government is in contempt of Parliament and has lost the confidence of the Commons. The motion passed by a vote of 156 to 145.
The campaign for Canada's 41st election is expected to officially begin Saturday morning, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to visit Rideau Hall to ask Governor General David Johnston to dissolve Parliament. Canadians will be going to the polls for the fourth time in roughly seven years.
Earlier Friday, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff declared that the Harper government had broken the rules of Canada's democratic system and must be brought down.
"This is a historic day in the life of the democracy you have served so well," Ignatieff told Commons Speaker Peter Milliken. "I have to inform the House that the Official Opposition has lost confidence in the government."
A parliamentary committee recently recommended the government be found in contempt for failing to provide enough information about the costs of its crime legislation. Milliken ruled earlier this month that, "on its face," the government appeared to have breached the parliamentary privilege of MPs by refusing to release the information.
The Liberal motion states that the Commons agrees with the committee's finding that the government is in contempt.
"The principle at stake in this debate goes to the heart of parliamentary democracy: the obligation of a government to provide members of this House with the information they need in order to hold the government accountable to the people of Canada," said Ignatieff.
The Conservatives hold 143 of the 308 seats in the Commons. The Liberals hold 77, the Bloc Quebecois 47, and the NDP 36. There are two independent MPs, Helena Guergis and André Arthur. There are three vacant seats.
"It is time to change Canada's direction. Time to get us on the right path," Ignatieff said in a speech on the motion. "After five years of Conservative government, it is time to say 'Enough is enough. Enough of the politics of fear. Enough of the politics of division. Enough of the politics of personal destruction.'"
Government house leader John Baird responded by accusing the opposition of putting their lust for power above the interests of Canadians.
"I'm saddened that a Parliament which has accomplished a lot recently will come to an end because of the reckless actions of the Liberal, Bloc Quebecois and NDP coalition in forcing an unwanted and unnecessary election on Canadians," Baird said.
He noted the opposition's hold a majority on the committee that recommended the government be found in contempt of Parliament. No government has been found in contempt of Parliament in Canadian history.
"What they aren't telling Canadians is that this was an opposition-stacked committee, who used the tyranny of the majority to get the predetermined outcome they wanted," Baird said. "They were the ones who demonstrated real contempt for Parliament, and they will have to answer to the Canadian people for that."
It is only the sixth time in history the federal government has been defeated on a confidence vote in the House of Commons. Previously, that had only happened to minority governments under Arthur Meighen in 1926, John Diefenbaker in 1963, Pierre Trudeau in 1974, Joe Clark in 1979 and Paul Martin in 2005.
Party leaders will fan out across the country on Saturday to begin a campaign expected to end May 2.
Before the vote, NDP Leader Jack Layton said it's not too late for the Conservatives to avoid defeat. "This Conservative government doesn't have to go down like Joe Clark or Paul Martin," Layton told the Commons.
"They could change their ways and they could change their budget, but they're just plain stubborn. If they're serious, we're ready to work. Why are the Conservatives intent on provoking an election?"
Rising in support of the Liberal motion, Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe said Quebecers can no longer trust the government because it has committed a series of anti-democratic actions.
"The decision by the Conservative leader to hide the truth was premeditated," Duceppe said in the Commons. "On top of that, the Conservative leader is notably a repeat offender. He and his party have a loaded history in this file. The Conservative leader and those around him have built lies and trickery in their method of governing."
Harper is expected to make his first stop in Quebec City. Ignatieff will hold a rally in Ottawa before travelling to Montreal for his first campaign stop. Layton will kick off his campaign in Edmonton, and Duceppe in Montreal.
The Conservatives plan to focus on the economy, arguing a change of power would undermine the still-fragile recovery at a time when it faces threats such as Middle East turmoil, fallout from the tsunami in Japan and ongoing debt troubles in Europe.
The opposition parties will put the spotlight on what they describe as the Conservatives' lack of ethics and accountability. The opposition will point to a string of recent controversies around the Tories, including charges that Conservative officials breached Canada's election law, and allegations that a former adviser to the prime minister was lobbying for deals that would have benefited his fiancee, a former escort.
A new poll suggests the Conservatives hold a commanding lead in public support heading into the campaign. The Conservatives command 43 per cent support among decided voters, putting them well within reach of a majority, according to an Ipsos Reid commissioned by Postmedia News and Global National. The Liberals registered 24 per cent support, the NDP are at 16 per cent, the Bloc at 10 per cent, and the Green Party at six per cent.
Read more: [url]http://www.canada.com/news/Harper+government+falls+Canadians+going+polls/4503131/story.html#ixzz1Hdcw1T8K[/url][/quote]
Source: [url]http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Harper+government+falls/4503131/story.html[/url]
:canada:
NDP NDP NDP
/c
Good god not again. Stupid Harper.
Harper'll win a majority. Book it. Liberals are limping in to this election, NDP never succeed, the Bloc only run in Quebec and the Greens are always 5th.
Well then the question should be why is Harper still trusted as a politican when the oppistion are cliaming that he has made mistakes. Also how are the liberals going to appeal to more of the public if they are planning to bring down the Conservatives?
[QUOTE=Kinversulath;28803518]Harper'll win a majority. Book it. Liberals are limping in to this election, NDP never succeed, the Bloc only run in Quebec and the Greens are always 5th.[/QUOTE]
well that only leaves green party or the commies?
(Hint: vote green party)
[QUOTE=hypern;28803609]Well then the question should be why is Harper still trusted as a politican when the oppistion are cliaming that he has made mistakes.[/QUOTE]
Are you saying that politicians shouldn't be trusted if the opposition criticises them?
Liberals don't get the point that we'll just get back in, and then there's another longer period of the Conservatives. Woo!
[editline]25th March 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Habsburg;28802721]NDP NDP NDP
/c[/QUOTE]
Sorry, the commies will never get in.
[QUOTE=Bllasae;28804070]Liberals don't get the point that we'll just get back in, and then there's another longer period of the Conservatives. Woo!
[editline]25th March 2011[/editline]
Sorry, the commies will never get in.[/QUOTE]
NDP =/= commies
and because we've been doing so great under harper?
[QUOTE=Bllasae;28804070]Sorry, the commies will never get in.[/QUOTE]
Compare [url]http://www.ndp.ca/[/url] with [url]http://www.communist-party.ca/[/url]
We're so going to be fucked if Harper gets a Majority.
[QUOTE=imawerewol;28804243]Compare [url]http://www.ndp.ca/[/url] with [url]http://www.communist-party.ca/[/url][/QUOTE]
NDP has much better web design.
[QUOTE=doonbugie2;28804789]Vote Marijuana part, honest leaders.[/QUOTE]
honest =/= good
We're almost guaranteed going to get a conservative majority. NDP may deserve it more, but they won't get elected.
bout time we got rid of herper
[QUOTE=imawerewol;28804243]Compare [URL]http://www.ndp.ca/[/URL] with [URL]http://www.communist-party.ca/[/URL][/QUOTE]
Close enough.
[editline]25th March 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=FunkyDisko77;28804845]honest =/= good
We're almost guaranteed going to get a conservative majority. NDP may deserve it more, but they won't get elected.[/QUOTE]
NDP deserves it less than the liberals.
[editline]25th March 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=iwirthless;28804291][B]I'm[/B] so going to be fucked if Harper gets a Majority.[/QUOTE]
The rest of Canada won't, as they'll be the ones voting for him.
[QUOTE=Bllasae;28805476]Close enough.[/QUOTE]
No not at all.
[editline]25th March 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Bllasae;28805476]NDP deserves it less than the liberals.[/QUOTE]
Coming from someone who can't differentiate between communist and the NDP.
I have lost count of how many elections we had in the last five years and I'm fed up with it.
Fuck this. I'm spoiling my ballot.
[QUOTE=Habsburg;28806543]No not at all.
[editline]25th March 2011[/editline]
Coming from someone who can't differentiate between communist and the NDP.[/QUOTE]
lol g00d 0n3 br0
[editline]25th March 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=MIPS;28807332]I have lost count of how many elections we had in the last five years and I'm fed up with it.
Fuck this. I'm spoiling my ballot.[/QUOTE]
4 in the last seven years, for the record.
[QUOTE=MIPS;28807332]I have lost count of how many elections we had in the last five years and I'm fed up with it.
Fuck this. I'm spoiling my ballot.[/QUOTE]
I'm guessing you're not a conservative so you're going to waste your vote and help get the conservatives back in power on principal?
If they get a majority we can expect:
- American style criminal justice system
- Healthcare cuts and partial privatization of healthcare
- Debates reopened on abortion
- Debates reopened on gay marriage
[QUOTE=Zeke129;28810331]
- Debates reopened on abortion
- Debates reopened on gay marriage[/QUOTE]
nahhhhh they wouldn't
[QUOTE=Habsburg;28810379]nahhhhh they wouldn't[/QUOTE]
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2005/11/29/harper-smaesex051129.html]Harper tried to do it back in 2005.[/url] He wanted to ban gay marriage and support them only through civil unions.
Even if he did the "least intrusive" thing and gave the definition of marriage back to the provinces, this would mean it would be illegal in Alberta at the very least, likely all of the prairie provinces and territories.
About time we lost him. Liberal minority, calling this shit right now broez.
[QUOTE=Noz;28810427]About time we lost him. Liberal minority, calling this shit right now broez.[/QUOTE]
Iggy needs to run one hell of a campaign but I think he can use the fact that the "fiscal conservatives" people voted for to save them money secretly spent their money to his advantage. As much as the liberals take a hard line on attack ads, [b]they need to use them this time.[/b]
Woop NDP
[QUOTE=Zeke129;28810433]Iggy needs to run one hell of a campaign but I think he can use the fact that the "fiscal conservatives" people voted for to save them money secretly spent their money to his advantage. As much as the liberals take a hard line on attack ads, [b]they need to use them this time.[/b][/QUOTE]
Liberals have already created political ads. I won't call them attack ads because they don't exactly attack anyone personally. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSmJaPICle8[/url]
The numbers going into this don't exactly give the Liberals much of a chance.
I will say this though. Dion had numbers about as shitty going into the '08 election and he managed to hold back a Conservative majority. If he was able to do it, I think Iggy can. But he needs to start throwing some punches.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.