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Liberal Leader Ignatieff - Harper Your Time is Up

by albertacowpoke | September 1, 2009 at 07:36 pm

171 views | 36 Recommendations | 4 comments

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was sworn in as Canada's 22nd Prime Minister in February 2006. He won an election, which gave him a minority government, after defeating the PM Paul Martin.

He won a re-election last fall with a bigger minority over the then Liberal Leader Stefan Dion. Shortly after the election an attempt was made by the Liberals and the New Democratic Party to form a coalition with the help of the BLOC Quebecois.

Stephen Harper never did let it come to a non-confidence motion and had the Governor General paroque Parliament. This is a little known procedure that effectively brings a session of parliament to end early without causing an election or allowing a non-confidence motion.

After this political maneouver Stefan Dion resigned and paved the way for Michael Ignatieff to be chosen as the new Liberal leader.

The Canadian Conservative Government has been on a rocky road since the commencement of parliament but dodged a non-confidence vote through to the summer recess, because of Liberal Party support. While the Liberals voted with the government, they kept condemning their polices and as recently as this spring put them on what they called probation.

Apparently this probation has now come to an end. Today Michael Ignatieff announced "Mr. Harper your time is up." The Liberals said that they would try to trigger an election at the earliest this fall.

According to reports today the earliest opportunity would be on October 5th, when there is an Opposition Day. This is the day the Liberals could table a Non-confidence motion.

There are still a lot of variables for an election trigger. The Liberals will require the support of the NDP and the BLOC Quebecois to make this happen.

Both the NDP and BLOC stated today that they could possibly vote with the governing Conservatives on some occasions.

The Saga in Ottawa continues. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has managed to keep this minority government alive for almost four years. Not a bad record.

The Liberals say they will try to trigger the defeat of Stephen Harper's minority Conservative government at the earliest possible date this fall, delivering a message to the prime minister: "Your time is up."

In a campaign-style address to supporters in Sudbury, Ont., where his caucus is meeting, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Tuesday that Harper has failed to meet the four conditions the Liberals set out for him in June to remain in power.

"You’ve failed to protect the most vulnerable, you’ve failed to create jobs, you’ve failed to defend our health care, you’ve failed to restore our public finances," Ignatieff said.

"We cannot support this government any further. After four years of drift, four years of denial, four years of division, four years of discord, Mr. Harper, your time is up."

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Amy Judd

at 19:40 on September 1st, 2009

good piece, outlines what is happening nicely.

albertacowpoke

at 19:42 on September 1st, 2009

Thank you Amy:)

Barry Artiste

at 05:26 on September 2nd, 2009

What a friggin TurdMonkey, Mr Libby to Harper your time is up as you are on your lifeline and we are pulling the plug on the conservatives,

Since when did Iggy get a medical degree to come up with that Charm SChool phrase?

If it comes to an election, lets hope the Conservatives finally get a majority this time and throw this asswipe and his party out to pasture/

albertacowpoke

at 05:33 on September 2nd, 2009

For now the libs have the polls running against them. Not only that I think Jacko will look at his odds of winning more seats and the political game of should we or should we not defeat them will continue.