Canadian PM vows "every legal means" to fight opposition coalition plan
4/12/2008 16:23
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday vowed to take "every
legal means" to fight against an opposition plan to replace his Conservative
government.
The Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP), with the
support of Bloc Quebecois, have signed an agreement to oust Harper in a
non-confidence vote next Monday and replace him with a coalition
government.
In a televised national address last night, Harper appealed to
Canadians for help, telling them a coalition government would not serve Canada's
interest.
"At a time like this, a coalition with the separatists cannot help
Canada. And the opposition does not have the democratic right to impose a
coalition with the separatists they promised voters would never happen," he
said.
"This is a pivotal moment in our history. Tonight I pledge to you that
Canada's government will use every legal means at our disposal to protect our
democracy, to protect our economy and to protect Canada," Harper said in the
five-minute speech.
The oppositions declared the minority Conservative
government had lost the confidence of the House of Commons, which they said had
not taken effective measures to tackle Canada's economic difficulties.
They
were particularly infuriated by a government plan to slash public funding for
politicians and political parties, which will affect the oppositions more
seriously than the Conservatives.
CONTROVERSIAL DEBATE ON
CONSTITUTION
Harper's office announced yesterday he was meeting with the
governor general at 9:30 am local time (1430 GMT) today. He is widely expected
to request the governor general to prorogue or suspend temporarily the
parliament, which will prevent the non-confidence motion vote from happening,
thus allowing his government to avoid being toppled.
Harper has promised to
table a budget by the end of January, which will contain a stimulus package that
the oppositions have demanded.
Following Harper's speech, each of the leaders
of the three opposition parties made a speech, challenging Harper to face the
vote while appealing for Canadians' support for their coalition.
However, it
is uncertain whether the governor general will accept Harper's advice to suspend
the parliament. If rejected, Harper may have to resign, analysts say. The
governor general may also choose to call an election, or to allow the
oppositions to govern.
How the governor general should react remains unclear
as Canada has seldom experienced such a scenario in history. The only coalition
government that ever existed was during World War One when consensus was needed
for the conscription plan, but at that time all political parties were involved
in the government.
While some Conservative members accuse the oppositions of
trying to stage a "coup," the oppositions have maintained they have the right to
rule if the government has lost the confidence of the parliament. The issue has
also sparked a nationwide debate as supporters for both sides plan
demonstrations from today over to the weekend to voice their
opinions.
Xinhua
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