NDP Leader Jack Layton, right, talks with Canada AM host Beverly Thomson Sept. 22, in Toronto. Layton said he would be willing to work with Liberals in a coalition government if it meant keeping the Conservatives out of power. Sept. 22, 2008
NDP Leader Jack Layton is refusing to rule out a coalition government with Stéphane Dion's Liberals if that's what it takes to oust Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Blasting Harper on everything from the environmental damage in the Alberta tar sands to the war in Afghanistan, Layton said this morning it's time to move Canada in a different direction.
Asked on CTV's Canada AM if he would "entertain even the notion of entering into a coalition with the Liberals in order to get the Conservatives out of power," the New Democrat stressed he's never allowed partisanship to trump the greater public good.
"Well, you know what, I've worked with any other party. I think people have seen that if they look back to my days on a municipal council," said Layton, a former Toronto councillor and one-time president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
"You roll up your sleeves and you try to solve a problem," he said.
"I think right now the problem we have is Stephen Harper and his Conservatives. They're taking the country down the wrong path. They're much too close to a (U.S. President) George Bush style foreign policy when it comes to the war in my view."
Pressed on whether he would move toward some sort of formal arrangement with Dion if the Liberal and NDP seat tally is greater than that of the Tories after Oct. 14, Layton was more coy.
"I think what I'll do is hopefully sit down in the Prime Minister's office and pull together the leadership of my party and say: 'how can we best serve the country? How can we best get that childcare program we committed to? How can we best get those doctors and nurses trained and deal with these wait times?'"
While the New Democrats have been accused of propping up Harper's Conservatives and indeed help topple former prime minister Paul Martin's Liberals by triggering the Jan. 23, 2006 election, Layton's attacks on Dion are infrequent.
Instead, he has been targeting Harper over their foreign and domestic policy differences.
Repeating his pledge to immediately withdraw Canadian troops from Afghanistan, he said it's time "to chart a new course."
"We've seen soldiers' deaths up, civilian deaths up, (opium) poppy production up, corruption is up. More of the country is too dangerous now to even provide aid or development," he said.
"Let's use the instruments of the U.N. that we created to reduce conflict, let's have a coordinated and comprehensive approach," he said.
On the home front, Layton pledged to reinstate the cuts to arts funding by the Conservatives and then increase such programs to boost economic development.
How many opportunities has he had to to do this??.....brain dead all.
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"How many opportunities has he had to to do this??.....brain dead all." True, but it would be interesting to see Dion and Layton going to the Gov. General's office and asking her to recognize the two of them should both the Liberals and NDP get over half of the seats in the House of Commons and even the actual votes cast. Of course, it would be even more helpful to include the Green Party in on this coalition. We shall see.
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Of course, it would be even more helpful to include the Green Party in on this coalition.
I would love to see a coalition of the Liberals, NDP and Greens form the government. More importantly, such a coalition would represent far more Canadians than the conservatives can ever hope to.
Obviously, a coalition of the Conservatives and Liberals would be able to claim a mandate, but I think their ideological differences are far to significant to allow such a partnership. In contrast, the Liberals, Greens and NDP are all very close on most issues.
Does anyone know what the legal/constitutional requirements are for a coalition government in Canada?
bryanc: I would say the Liberals and Conservatives are really only a hair's breadth apart. The only thing that prevents them from acknowledging it is the desire to see each other's organizations destroyed.
bryanc: I would say the Liberals and Conservatives are really only a hair's breadth apart. The only thing that prevents them from acknowledging it is the desire to see each other's organizations destroyed.
The only difference between the Fiberals and the Tories these days is the fact they have two different organizations. Next to that, their policies all cater to whatever lobby group or special interest they are trying to score cash from. Maybe Dion can't speak English very well, but Harper says nothing of any value when he flaps his lips.
Layton has to talk Coalition because his party is sinking into nothingness. Between the Green Party taking away all of the youth and environmental votes, and Bob Rae basically destroying the NDP in Ontario fifteen years ago, obliterating any chance of the union vote. He's practically done, like the Social Credit, or the United Farmer's of Ontario...
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bryanc: I would say the Liberals and Conservatives are really only a hair's breadth apart. The only thing that prevents them from acknowledging it is the desire to see each other's organizations destroyed.
I wouldn't say a hair's breadth exactly. That may have been true during the days of the PCs, but Harper's takeover of that party moved it rightward. The Libs under Martin were still not a huge amount different from the old PCs but were definitely somewhat to the left of new Cons, (although still not what I would call "left").
I think Dion has caused them to move even a bit more left. Some of the blue Libs departed and some are just plotting their return to influence after they get the knives out for Dion.
I wouldn't see a coalition as a left-coalition, just a less-than-extremist coalition.
I don't think Layton really said anything that could be construed as actually promising a coalition, he just said he wouldn't rule it out. It would be rendered irrelevant if Harper gets a majority.
I think, (although I'm not totally sure how the mechanics work), that if the Lib and NDP seats add up to greater than the Cons total seats (might not happen), they could launch a non-confidence motion as soon as the next House is in session and then apply to the G-G to form a coalition. If they would need the Bloc to have enough seats for this then I don't see that happening either. Any government that forms government with the Bloc as a partner would be punished.
If such a scenario came to pass, I think they would have to enter into a formal coalition, meaning they would have to hammer out policies that they could agree on and live with, compromising on policies that they don't. That would also include having Layton as deputy-PM and other NDP MPs in cabinet. Again if this came to pass, Layton would be smart to insist on making a move to proportional representation a requirement, because if the coalition allowed the Libs to rehabilitate themselves, they would ditch the coalition the minute they felt they could go it alone to win a majority, or a strong minority.
But this occurring is a pretty low probability in my opinion. There certainly won't be any move to it before the election, only after if the seat count supports it. Even then, rabid partisans within each party could stop that from happening. I don't know so much about what happens within the ranks of the Libs, but amongst NDPers I hear a pervasive opinion that views the Libs and Cons as Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Looking at the Chretien-Martin years I have some sympathy with that POV.
"I would love to see a coalition of the Liberals, NDP and Greens form the government. More importantly, such a coalition would represent far more Canadians than the conservatives can ever hope to." I agree, bryanc.
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Coalition talk....
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Jack who?
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