Bring on the Coalition Government!

Angela Bischoff greenspi at web.ca
Wed Dec 3 13:08:52 EST 2008


Do your part to bring on the Coalition Gov't!

A coalition government gives voice to the 61.2% of Canadians who did  
not vote conservative in this past election!

Toronto Rally: Sat. Dec. 6, noon - City Hall!

--------------------

RALLIES
Go here to find out where/when the rally is in your city. Most are  
planned for Thur. or Sat.
http://www.canadians.org/08-Coalition/rallies.html

EMAIL THE GOVERNOR GENERAL
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean is reachable at  
<info at gg.ca>

WRITE A LETTER - no stamp required
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean
Governor General of Canada
Rideau Hall, 1 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario   K1A 0A1

EMAIL YOUR MP
http://www.makeparliamentwork.ca/

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITIONS
http://www.progressivecoalition.ca/form.php
http://www.avaaz.org/en/coalition_for_canada/?cl=153005821&v=2491

WATCH THIS GREAT VIDEO (3 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmNaEqMqA8

-----------------

The Globe and Mail reports today that, "The pact does not detail all  
stands such a (coalition) government would take on matters that  
divide the parties," but there is greater clarity now on several key  
issues.

Prime Minister Stephane Dion, 18 Liberal cabinet ministers, including  
the Minister of Finance, and 6 NDP cabinet ministers, would undertake  
the following program:

STIMULUS PACKAGE
"The coalition government calls for an economic stimulus package  
including infrastructure spending; money for housing (construction  
and retrofitting); aid to key sectors such as manufacturing, auto and  
forestry sectors; funding for skills training; and support for  
unemployed older workers (to help them make the transition to  
retirement)."

CAP-AND-TRADE
"(Dion's) election-campaign carbon-tax proposal would not go ahead,  
but plans for a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions would."

CORPORATE TAX CUTS
"Planned corporate tax cuts (announced by the Conservatives in Budget  
2008) would go forward - a major concession for the NDP."

AFGHANISTAN
"Canadian troops would remain in Afghanistan until 2011."

QUEBEC
"Mr. Duceppe said the Bloc Quebecois would not guarantee its support  
(for the coalition government) beyond June 2010 because the other two  
parties would not make concessions on actions to reflect Quebec's  
recognition as a nation."

EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
"The coalition is also proposing a new agency to reform Employment  
Insurance and introduce reforms to reduce minimum withdrawals from  
RRSPs."

Yesterday, as reported by the Ottawa Citizen, Stephen Harper said,  
"We will use all legal means to resist this undemocratic seizure of  
power."

This could include:
- "National Revenue Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said prorogation  
was an option the government was considering."

- "The Conservatives, in preparation for this possibility (of an  
election), have already put down a deposit on a campaign plane and  
buses."

- "Government supporters are planning rallies across the country  
(including at Rideau Hall) and will go door-to-door to gather  
signatures on a petition."

- "Sources say broadcast or print advertising is also a possibility."

This all said, "in a sign of how seriously the bureaucracy is taking  
the opposition's bid to topple the Conservatives, the Privy Council  
Office has asked all departments to begin preparing transition books  
for a new government."

Brought to you by the great works of Brent Patterson - Council of  
Canadians

----------------------------------------------------

(see below for the articles)
NEWS: Globe and Mail obtains Tory Talking Points by e-mail  -  
November 29th, 2009
NEWS: Elizabeth May calls for a coalition government – November 29th,  
2008
NEWS: What would be the coalition government’s agenda? – November  
29th, 2008
NEWS: How does Harper plan to save his government – November 29th, 2008
NEWS: Harper delays non-confidence vote to December 8 – November  
28th, 2008
NEWS: Harper backs down on party financing – November 28th, 2008
NEWS: Ignatieff as PM in the new coalition government? – November  
28th, 2008
NEWS: Harper government faces non-confidence vote on Monday night –  
November 28th, 2008

NEWS: Globe and Mail obtains Tory Talking Points by e-mail – November  
29th, 2009

The Globe and Mail reports that, "Mr. Harper's chief of staff Guy  
Giorno sent out an e-mail (on Friday) that included talking points,  
scripts for Tory partisans to use on radio phone-in shows and a  
template for letters to newspaper editors (to turn public opinion  
against a Liberal-NDP coalition government)."

While the talking points in the e-mail obtained by the Globe sound  
quite unconvincing (and angry), it is important for us to be able to  
counter this kind of argumentation.

The story continues, "Mr. Giorno's message included very detailed  
scripts MPs are expected to follow while delivering radio interviews  
that include the following lines::

1) We're not even two months removed from the last election, and a  
group of backroom politicians are going to pick who the Prime  
Minister is. Canadians didn't vote for this person. We don't even  
know who this person will be.

2) Not a single voter voted for a Liberal-NDP coalition. Certainly  
not a single voter voted for the Liberals to form a coalition with  
the separatists in the Bloc.

3) This is what bothers me the most. The Conservatives won the  
election. The Opposition keeps saying that the Conservatives have to  
respect the will of the voters that this is a minority and so on.

4) …how about Liberals, NDP and Bloc respecting the will of the  
voters when they said 'YOU LOSE'.

5) And what's this going to do to the economy. I'm sorry, I don't  
care how desperate the Liberals are — giving socialists (Jack Layton)  
and separatists (Gilles Duceppe) a veto over every decision in  
government — that is a recipe for total economic disaster.

6) But how more phony could these guys be?

7) I mean, I follow the news, virtually every single day you have  
Harper or Flaherty out there telegraphing exactly what they plan to  
do with the economy. And not once did you hear the Liberals, NDP or  
separatists talking about toppling the government in response.

8) No — do you know what set this off. When Flaherty said he was  
going to take taxpayer-funded subsidies away from the opposition. Now  
there is a reason to try and overturn an election— because the  
Conservatives the audacity to say 'Hey, it's a recession, maybe you  
should take your nose out of the trough.'

9) And I wish the media would be more clear on this point — the  
opposition aren't being singled out by this fact the Conservatives  
stand to lose the most money of all. The only difference is that  
Canadians are voluntarily giving money the Conservatives, so they  
don't need taxpayer handouts. The only reason the opposition would be  
hurt more is because nobody wants to donate to them. They should be  
putting their efforts towards fixing that problem.

10) I don't want another election. But what I want even less is a  
surprise backroom Prime Minister whom I never even had the  
opportunity to vote for or against. What an insult to democracy."

The full article (and an image of the e-mail) is at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM. 
20081129.wtories_message1129/BNStory/Front


NEWS: Elizabeth May calls for a coalition government – November 29th,  
2008

Green Party leader Elizabeth May writes today that Stephen Harper's  
"first shot across the bow of a coalition is that it is 'back room  
and anti-democratic.' Well, as we know, the first-past-the-post  
system got us another Conservative government with the votes of  
5,205,334 Canadians who chose Mr. Harper’s party."

May writes, "I predict we’ll see new Conservative attack ads aimed at  
the Opposition Parties and the idea of a coalition. No doubt, the  
attack ads are in production as we speak. They will try to portray a  
Coalition Government as some sort of evil coup."

She counters, "When you look at the election results, it is clear  
that a coalition government is entirely democratic. In fact, it is  
the most democratic result possible under our current system.  Add  
the Liberal vote (3,629,990) to the NDP vote (2,517,075) and our  
Green vote (940,747) you get 7,077,812 votes.  (Add in the Bloc vote  
and) over 8.4 million Canadians did not vote for the Conservatives.  
In percentages it’s 37.6% versus 61.2%.. Clearly the democratic  
choice is for a coalition government representing the vast majority  
of Canadians."

May concludes, "So in the next week, please do not leave this to the  
Conservative attack machine to shape public opinion. Sadly, Greens  
are not in the House, but we are at the grassroots, in neighbourhoods  
and communities. PLEASE spread the word. Send letters to MPs (what  
Mr. Harper suggested.). Blog on media sites. Post comments. Write  
letters to the editor. Organize your own events. Attend the planned  
climate rallies on December 6th and support the dream of a Coalition  
government supporting global action at the climate negotiations  
running in Poland from December 1-13."

NEWS: What would be the coalition government’s agenda? – November  
29th, 2008

What agenda would hold together a Liberal-NDP coalition government,  
backed by the Bloc Quebecois? How could they make Parliament work for  
Canadians?

THE ECONOMY
CBC Radio News reports this morning Liberal MP John McCallum saying  
the economy would be the top priority of the coalition government.  
Liberal MP Marlene Jennings says the new government would introduce a  
stimulus plan "within days" of taking office. NDP MP Peter Julian  
said on CBC Radio's The House this morning that the opposition  
parties agree in many ways on how to address the economic crisis.

NO POLICY ISSUES ARE DEAL-BREAKERS
The Globe and Mail reports that, "Spokesmen for both the Liberals and  
the New Democrats said negotiations between the two parties would  
continue through the weekend, and, despite disagreements on matters  
such as the Canadian presence in Afghanistan, a senior NDP official  
said that no policy issues are considered deal-breakers. Nor does the  
NDP object to Mr. Dion as prime minister."

NDP CABINET SEATS
The Globe reports that, "The NDP is asking for cabinet seats in  
whatever coalition emerges, although it is not clear which portfolios."

The Toronto Star adds that, "NDP Leader Jack Layton and Stephane Dion  
have discussed 'roles and responsibilities' in a new coalition, an  
NDP official confirmed.  It is expected that Layton would have a  
place in the new cabinet, and 'various players would play different  
roles,' the official said."

John Baird was on CBC Radio's As It Happens last night employing the  
scare tactic, "Jack Layton would be the finance minister."

THE BLOC'S DEMANDS
The Star reports, "Gilles Duceppe repeated his past statements that  
the Bloc will not be formally part of any coalition, but the Bloc  
Leader said he is open to working with Mr. Dion...Duceppe has had  
meetings with Layton and Dion, and still wants 'stimuli concerning  
economy, to have a real plan for manufacturing and forestry sector,  
to have a better conditions for the employment insurance and so on.'”

A WRITTEN AGREEMENT
The Globe reports that, "In the current situation, the three  
opposition parties would have to produce a written agreement  
guaranteeing support for a Liberal government or a Liberal-NDP  
coalition..The agreement would have to be made public and it would  
have to specify that it remained in effect for a set period of time."

THE COUNCIL OF CANADIANS' 5-POINT PROGRESSIVE AGENDA
The Council of Canadians issued a media release yesterday calling on  
the three opposition parties to defeat the Harper government in a non- 
confidence vote as soon as possible and to form a coalition  
government guided by a set of progressive priorities.

We have put forward a five-point progressive agenda to guide the work  
of a potential coalition government:

1. Agreement to proceed with the renegotiation of NAFTA, including  
seeking the removal of the Chapter 11 investor-state clause, the  
energy provisions, and water from the treaty.

2. Implement a Canadian energy strategy, which would address the  
environmental destruction of the northern Alberta tar sands, reduce  
eastern Canada's dependence on imported oil, and create the  
opportunity for Canada to become an international leader in  
developing new green jobs and publicly-owned renewable energy sources.

3. Implement a national water policy that would prohibit bulk water  
exports (by removing water from NAFTA), recognize the right to water  
through the United Nations, and ensure that water remains a public  
good not a private commodity.

4. Place an immediate moratorium on the establishment of any new for- 
profit privately-owned health care clinics in Canada.

5. Take immediate steps to introduce proportional representation to  
address the unbalanced results that come with the current electoral  
system in Canada.

The article 'Conservatives delay vote on fiscal update' is at
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/545220

The article 'Harper buys time, coalition closes in' can be read at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM. 
20081128.wcoalition29/BNStory/politics/home

The article 'Jean would have little choice but to accept coalition  
back, experts say' is at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081128.wGG29/ 
BNStory/politics/home


NEWS: How does Harper plan to save his government – November 29th, 2008

The Globe and Mail reports this morning that, "Prime Minister Stephen  
Harper sought to rescue his government from a historic defeat Friday  
by delaying for one week (to December 8) a confidence vote that could  
usher into power an unprecedented coalition of Liberals and New  
Democrats."

What is Harper's strategy to stop the defeat of his government?

1) "The Tories hope to use the coming week to sow doubts in the  
public mind about the legitimacy of a coalition." As such, last night  
Mr. Harper argued that, “The opposition has every right to defeat the  
government, but Stéphane Dion does not have the right to take power  
without an election. Canada's government should be decided by  
Canadians, not backroom deals. It should be your choice – not  
theirs...They want to install a government led by a party that  
received its lowest vote share since Confederation."


2) "The Globe and Mail has learned that Conservative MPs have been  
told to fan out this weekend in their ridings and sell the message,  
through forums such as talk radio, that this dispute with opposition  
parties is merely about the Liberals, NDP and Bloc trying to protect  
their share of the $27-million in public subsidies."

3) "The Tories plan to scrutinize public reaction this weekend. If  
they don't feel they've persuaded Canadians that a change would be  
disastrous, sources said, they may consider describing in more detail  
what kind of spending they would be prepared to offer and under what  
conditions they would pump stimulus into the economy."

What arguments counter Mr. Harper's position?

1) A COALITION GOVERNMENT IS LEGITIMATE
"Constitutional experts say the brief lifespan of the current federal  
government obliges Governor-General Michaëlle Jean to give the  
opposition parties a chance at power should the Conservatives  
fall...Because the last federal election was held just six weeks ago,  
experts say the Governor-General is obligated by precedent to let the  
opposition parties form a government if they can prove they have the  
confidence of the House of Commons...Louis Massicotte, an expert in  
governmental affairs who has advised the Chief Electoral Officer,  
said Friday that 'there is an overwhelming case for an election not  
to be granted in the present circumstances.' If the Conservative  
government is defeated the week after next, that will be during the  
first sittings of the new Parliament, he said. 'I have literally  
dozens of precedents on my side taken from British history and from  
Canadian history and the parliamentary history in the Canadian  
provinces,' Mr. Massicotte said. 'They suggest that wh!
  enever a government is defeated during the first sittings of a new  
Parliament, the practice is that there will be no election.'"

2) THIS IS ABOUT MORE THAN PARTY FINANCING
"Opposition parties are threatening to defeat the Conservatives  
because, they say, the government failed to provide stimulus for the  
faltering economy in this week's fall economic update. They are also  
angry at proposals to remove civil servants' right to strike and to  
take away an operating subsidy for political parties that is based on  
their performance in the previous election."

A statement calling for a coalition government signed by the Council  
of Canadians says, "Prime Minister Harper (has) failed to deliver a  
plan to halt the devastation being wrought upon hard working  
families. Instead his Conservative government is using the crisis to  
attack the democratic process, violate the rights of public servants  
to bargain collectively and end pay equity."

3) MR. HARPER 'HAS NOT CREDIBLY PRESENTED A PLAN TO STIMULATE THE  
ECONOMY'
Even the Globe's editorial board writes today that, "The  
Conservatives, in Thursday's fiscal update, set out what was intended  
to be a prudent course of inaction. But by essentially opting to do  
nothing for now, the government is in fact behaving imprudently. This  
has provided substance to opposition claims that the government  
failed to recognize the seriousness of Canada's economic situation  
and has not credibly presented a plan to stimulate the economy."

The common statement signed by unions and NGOS calling for a  
coalition government says, "Canada now stands alone as the only  
government in the western world without a coherent economic stimulus  
plan. The Harper government talks of balancing the budget by selling  
off assets and restraining spending, the exact opposite of the  
stimulus response that virtually all economists and many others are  
arguing is necessary."

The article 'Harper buys time, coalition closes in' can be read at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM. 
20081128.wcoalition29/BNStory/politics/home

The article 'Jean would have little choice but to accept coalition  
back, experts say' is at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081128.wGG29/ 
BNStory/politics/home

The editorial 'How to compound any economic crisis' is at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM. 
20081128.wEHarper29/BNStory/politics/?page=rss&id=RTGAM. 
20081128.wEHarper29

NEWS: Harper delays non-confidence vote to December 8 – November  
28th, 2008

As reported just now by the Canadian Press, "Prime Minister Stephen  
Harper is moving to avert a major political showdown, pushing off the  
earliest non-confidence vote in his government by one week. Harper’s  
dramatic move late Friday follows a day of political turmoil in  
Ottawa as the opposition parties threatened to bring down the  
minority government and form an unprecedented coalition...Harper said  
the next opposition day will be set for Dec. 8, giving his government  
a week’s breathing space. He also cancelled the vote on a ways-and- 
means motion that had been scheduled for Monday night, which also  
gave an opening to bring down the government."

The Council of Canadians issued a media release today calling on the  
three opposition parties to defeat the Harper government in a non- 
confidence vote as soon as possible and to form a coalition  
government guided by a set of progressive priorities.

We have put forward a five-point progressive agenda to guide the work  
of a potential coalition government:

1. Agreement to proceed with the renegotiation of NAFTA, including  
seeking the removal of the Chapter 11 investor-state clause, the  
energy provisions, and water from the treaty.

2. Implement a Canadian energy strategy, which would address the  
environmental destruction of the northern Alberta tar sands, reduce  
eastern Canada's dependence on imported oil, and create the  
opportunity for Canada to become an international leader in  
developing new green jobs and publicly-owned renewable energy sources.

3. Implement a national water policy that would prohibit bulk water  
exports (by removing water from NAFTA), recognize the right to water  
through the United Nations, and ensure that water remains a public  
good not a private commodity.

4. Place an immediate moratorium on the establishment of any new for- 
profit privately-owned health care clinics in Canada.

5. Take immediate steps to introduce proportional representation to  
address the unbalanced results that come with the current electoral  
system in Canada.

The Canadian Press article can be read at http://www.edmontonsun.com/ 
News/Canada/2008/11/28/7572051.html.

NEWS: Harper backs down on party financing – November 28th, 2008

The Canadian Press is reporting this half-hour that, "The  
Conservative government says an incendiary plan to strip political  
parties of their public financing won't be included in a confidence  
vote on the fall fiscal update. Government sources say only tax  
measures will be part of the ways and means motion that  
parliamentarians will vote upon on Monday. It's a sharp reversal for  
the minority government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper."

Earlier this morning the Globe and Mail had reported that, "The  
government has been silent on the matter, although Conservative  
officials met late into the night in the Prime Minister's Office in  
the Langevin Block, across from Parliament Hill. Tory MPs seemed  
thunderstruck late Thursday by the possibility that their second term  
might come to a sudden end. As some of them piled onto a  
parliamentary shuttle bus, they were heard incredulously asking  
opposition MPs if they're serious about a coalition."

The National Post reported that, "This morning, Minister of Foreign  
Affairs Lawrence Cannon was a guest on CBC Newsworld and was promptly  
put on the spot...So enter Mr. Cannon, on the prospect of the  
Opposition defeating the government: 'If that's what they want to do,  
then let them do it...Whatever happens, happens.'"

The Canadian Press article is at
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5j- 
vaw1H_MNCsBEEmjJaOuSu_dRSQ

The Globe and Mail report is at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM. 
20081128.wPOLcoalition1128/BNStory/politics/home

The National Post article is at
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/11/28/ 
lawrence-cannon-aka-tory-spokesman-whatever-happens-happens.aspx


NEWS: : Ignatieff as PM in the new coalition government? – November  
28th, 2008

CTV.ca is reporting this morning that, "Former Liberal prime minister  
Jean Chretien and New Democrat stalwart Ed Broadbent are working  
behind the scenes to broker a deal that could see the two parties  
form a coalition government, CTV News has learned. The urgent and  
high-level negotiations began Thursday night after the Liberals and  
NDP - along with the Bloc Quebecois - rejected Finance Minister Jim  
Flaherty's economic update. 'Under this deal the Liberals would form  
the government, the NDP would sit in it with cabinet seats and the  
Bloc Quebecois would support this new NDP-Liberal coalition from  
outside the government,' said CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.  
Liberal MP Michael Ignatieff is the most likely choice to lead the  
coalition, Fife told CTV's Canada AM."

CBC.ca adds, "According to the Canadian Press, the official says NDP  
Leader Jack Layton asked Broadbent to call Chrétien with hopes the  
two elder statesmen might finesse a deal for the two parties to  
defeat the minority government and form a coalition with support from  
the Bloc. The NDP official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says  
the two former leaders spoke at least four times and will continue  
talking Friday. The news agency also said an unnamed Liberal MP  
confirmed the talks were going on, and said Broadbent was having a  
morning meeting with Layton."

The CTV report is at
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081127/ 
Tories_fiscal_081128/20081128?hub=TopStories

The CBC story is at
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/11/28/fed-govt.html


NEWS: Harper government faces non-confidence vote on Monday night –  
November 28th, 2008

The possibility that opposition parties could defeat the Conservative  
government in a non-confidence vote on Monday night is front-page  
news across the country.

The Ottawa Citizen reports, "Opposition parties are furious over Mr.  
Harper's attempts to cripple his opponents by eliminating a $30- 
million taxpayer subsidy ($1.95 per vote) paid to political  
parties...The three opposition parties -- the Liberals, Bloc  
Québécois and NDP -- will spend the weekend trying to figure out  
their strategy."

Where are the parties on this?

Overall, "Canwest News Service has learned that preliminary  
discussions between the NDP and the Liberals at adviser level are  
already under way, although, officially, no leader, MP or senior  
adviser from one party is yet talking to counterparts from another  
party."

LIBERALS
The Globe and Mail reports that a Liberal insider said that the  
caucus meeting on Thursday morning did not discuss a coalition  
government and that Stephane Dion told his caucus to "stay focused  
and make sure we are all united in the message. The message is the  
economy..." But "Liberal MPs were locked in meetings Thursday night,  
struggling to determine what to do...Their options are to fight  
another election mere weeks after the last one with a lame duck  
leader, or join forces with the New Democratic Party in an attempt to  
form a coalition government...The Liberal Party's constitution gives  
Mr. Dion the authority to decide what his parliamentary caucus will  
do. Pressure was growing on Mr. Dion to be open to coalition talks,  
with threats of a party coup if he resisted...The party almost  
certainly would refuse to go into another election under Mr. Dion,  
with the likely result that the mantle of interim leadership would  
fall on Michael Ignatieff, who has the most support from th!
  e parliamentary caucus and influential backroom Liberals. But that  
would upset supporters of MPs Bob Rae and Dominic LeBlanc, who are  
campaigning for the Liberal leadership...And Liberal insiders say  
that Mr. Dion, who is to step aside in May, has signalled to senior  
Liberals that his opposition to the package is not a ploy to stay on  
as leader or become prime minister in a coalition or co-operative  
government."

Ottawa Citizen: Liberal MP Ralph Goodale says, "The speculation about  
coalitions and constitutional prerogatives is very premature."
But "Cannwest News Service has also learned that some Liberals have  
approached Mr. Chrétien to convene a meeting between Liberal leader  
Stéphane Dion and the two leading leadership candidates, Michael  
Ignatieff and Bob Rae. Those Liberals want Mr. Chrétien to broker a  
deal that would see a leader other than Mr. Dion who could lead the  
Liberals in a general election campaign, should it come to that.  
Representatives of the Ignatieff and Rae campaigns quickly dismissed  
the suggestion that Mr. Chrétien would, or should, convene such a  
meeting."

NDP
Globe and Mail: "Sources say that NDP Leader Jack Layton would not  
participate in a coalition government with Liberal Leader Stéphane  
Dion as prime minister."

Ottawa Citizen: "Mr. Layton was scheduled to give a major speech to a  
union group in Vancouver tomorrow, but Canwest News Service has  
learned he will send his House leader, Libby Davies, in his stead so  
that he can stay in Ottawa to confer with his advisers and, if need  
be, the leaders of the other two opposition parties...Usually, a  
governor general's response (to a non-confidence vote) is to dissolve  
Parliament and call a general election. But she also has the option  
of inviting the leader of another party to form a government." NDP MP  
Thomas Mulcair says, "I think that anyone who knows the Canadian  
constitutional system will be able to explain to you that long before  
talking about an election, if the government loses the confidence of  
Parliament, there are a lot of other things that will happen before  
we would have an election, especially so soon after the last one."

BLOC QUEBECOIS
There has bee very little coverage of their position other than they  
reject the elimination of the per vote subsidy, with the Ottawa  
Citizen reporting that, "For the Liberals and the Bloc, the subsidy  
amounts to about two-thirds of their annual revenues." The Liberals  
receive $7.7 million dollars annually, while the Bloc Quebecois  
receives $2.6 million.

The Ottawa Citizen report is at
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html? 
id=379ab8e4-5663-47e8-8fa3-04a87b7e3e23

The Globe and Mail story is at
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM. 
20081128.wfiscalparties28/BNStory/politics/?page=rss&id=RTGAM. 
20081128.wfiscalparties28




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