Election likely in spring

There are signs that Liberal might be preparing for an election. It seems like they are now talking along the same line. John McCallum said:

We have said that we would not bring the government down at this time before Easter but come April or May or later in the session, circumstances might have changed… Later on in the session, all options are open.

Stephane Dion said:

If they (Tories) do something that we Liberals consider aggravating the situation they have created . . . we may decide, indeed, to trigger an election,

Toronto Star considered Flaherty’s bill to scuttle the RESP bill, voted for by all three opposition, as a possible aggravating situation.

Liberal strategy seems to be to delay it until spring. So they won’t vote this initial bill down. They would instead vote down the budget implementation bill so that election will happen on spring. By that time, the weather have improved and by-election is done (possibly giving them some momentum).

McCallum said Liberals will vote against the motion “but not in sufficient numbers to bring down the government.”

However, he said Liberals might yet bring down the government over the budget implementation legislation that will flow from the motion. That legislation, which also includes the provision to kill the RESP bill, will take some weeks to wend its way through committee before coming to a final vote in the Commons. ….

He said the party could choose to defeat the government over its decision to kill the RESP bill or, more generally, over the government’s failure to plan for a sufficient budgetary surplus to cushion the blow of such an unexpected development.

I think the fact that government practically emptied the treasury, leaving no cash for rainy day while claiming to be aware of an economic slow down, would be a good reason to go to poll with. Flaherty’s constant screaming of deficit on every opposition’s plan would only come back to bite him on his rear.

Source, related article and blog :

thestar.com – Liberal threaten election over budget (March 11, 2008)
Flaherty criticize his own tax savings account (March 11, 2008)
Is Flaherty hiding a deficit already? (Feb. 26, 2008)
Conservative fear mongering on budget (Feb. 17, 2008)

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