The Great Game

At a news conference last night in the foyer of the House of Commons, Mr. Harper blasted the Liberals for the unprecedented move of cancelling a regularly scheduled day set aside for the Conservatives.

That day, a so-called "opposition day," is one in which an opposition party can set the Commons agenda, putting forward a motion of its choosing for debate and a vote. The Conservatives' day was scheduled for tomorrow.

Government House Leader Tony Valeri made the announcement late yesterday after learning the Conservatives intended to use the day to team up with the Bloc Québécois on a motion that would allow opposition parties to decide the timing of opposition days next month. Those days could be used to move a no-confidence motion and topple the government.

Mr. Valeri said it is the government's right to schedule opposition days, adding that he is shutting down this week's day because it was going to be used in an attempt to "hijack" the government's authority.

The Conservatives warned the move could force them to bring down the Liberal government sooner rather than later. Mr. Harper promised that they would not co-operate with the government from now on, and suggested that the opposition parties could now obstruct government business in the Commons.

"If they want to try and govern without giving the opposition a democratic vote week after week after week, I think they are just signing their own death warrant," he said.

Mr. Valeri is required to schedule a certain number of opposition days before the middle of June, when MPs vote on government spending for the year, and the tradition has been to scheduled one each week.

The government does have the power to push all five remaining opposition days into June, which would force the Tories to trigger a mid-summer election. Mr. Valeri would not commit last night to scheduling any opposition days in May.

He suggested the opposition could still bring down the government by voting down the budget, but the move has further inflamed the other parties.

"Canadians know when a government is on a death watch," Mr. Harper said. "This is the kind of behaviour a government does when it is scared to death of the electorate." (Link)

And Cathie's post:

Harper says ploy will doom Liberals
Well, maybe.
But its hard to see how.
Basically, Martin's flim flam with the so-called "opposition days" scheduling means that the Conservatives won't get a chance to move a non-confidence motion until June, resulting in a midsummer election which the whole country would hate. And we would blame the Conservatives.
Or they could vote non-confidence against the budget, but this would mean the budget everybody liked wouldn't come into effect. And we would blame the Conservatives.
According to the polls last week, a majority of Canadians don't want a spring vote anyway, so it doesn't seem like we're going to be unhappy with the liberals for delaying it. In fact, the longer it is delayed, the more chances for Martin to slip up.
And once again this news story shows Conservatives thinking they can just clap their hands to make unpleasant reality disappear: ". . . the Tories have taken the position that the Queen should not have to cancel her trip to the Prairies next month, even if the country is in the middle of a federal election." Well, Stevie, you can assume the position all you like, but your position won't cut any ice with the royals. And so we would miss having the Queen come to Saskatchewan's Centennial. (Link)

By the way did you know it was Saskatchewan's Centennial?

# posted by Jacob @ 4/19/2005 01:01:00 p.m.