Monday, January 19, 2009
Can The Budget Be Defeated?
I'm not sure. I have to agree with my leader (interim) about tax cuts being fundamentally an unwise approach to stimulating the economy. However, I assume that even Harper, Flaherty et al. will be including something other than tax cuts in the budget. There will be money for infrastructure both desperately needed to bolster our sinking economy and start to fix our infrastructure deficit in this country. So, the question becomes can the opposition parties, in particular the Liberal Party of Canada, justify defeating the budget even if a good chunk of the so-called stimulus package is tax cuts? I don't know. I think it may be difficult. Frankly, I don't want an election and that would guide my decision making as much as the nitty-gritty of the budget.
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4 comments:
I don't want an election either, but the coalition agreement is still in place.
If t he budget is unacceptable, the Liberals should vote it down - no ifs ands or but about it. Keep the coalition agreement in hand, and ask the G-G to allow that to take place. If she does, then great. If she doesn't, and instead opts for an election, so be it.
Whatever happens, we Liberals need to stop acting fearful.
Although that is the question of the month, Aaron. It is is probably irrelevant.
Personally I don’t want Harper/Flaherty handling the purse strings. Their performance to date has been less that stellar.
It appears that they are going through the motions in putting together this expected stimulus package. If anything the recession appears no more than an interference in their program to reshape Canada into their confusing social/neoconservative image.
The country needs a government with both sound fiscal management experience and a one that is empathetic to the needs of working Canadians and those that have lost their jobs, loosing their homes and coming to their the end of their rope.
That is what we are facing and quite simply there is no empathy from these conservatives.
The conservatives will think the recession is over after the first positive quarter (expected around September next year) even though historically the job losses can continue for another 12 months.
We need the coalition of Liberals and NDP.
But the Liberal party does not have the ad bucks to run enough 30 second commercials to counter the conservative marketing machine and will probably not risk loosing more seats despite the recent bump in the polls.
So the answer to the question is no.
At least that’s my vote.
Until Iggy is the 'elected' leader, in May, I doubt that he is eligible to be paracuted in as PM, by the GG.
I think that we as Liberals need to show back bone. I'm also no fan of putting Jack Layton into cabinet in the middle of a financial crisis. However, I don't think it matters whether Ignatieff is interim or permanent leader of the Liberal Party constitutionally. The wording I've always seen is leader of the party or coalition with the most seats in the house of commons. There's no requirement that it be a leader permanently chosen under a given party's by-laws.
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