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WORLD> America
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Canada government may seek to suspend parliament
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-03 15:08 OTTAWA -- Canada's minority Conservative government may seek the temporary suspension of Parliament to stop opposition parties from voting it out and taking power, an aide to Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Tuesday.
The Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois signed a deal on Monday committing them to bringing down the government, just seven weeks after it won re-election with a strengthened minority, and forming a coalition government to replace the Conservatives. The formal agreement quickly triggered one of the worst political crises in Canada's history. The opposition, which says Harper is not doing enough to tackle the fallout from the financial crisis, proposed forging a formal coalition of Liberals and New Democrats, with the separatist Bloc promising its support. The Harper aide, describing the proposed deal with the separatists as "an affront to our democracy (and) incredibly dangerous" for Canada, said the government would fight the coalition plan "with every legal means at our disposal". This could involve asking Governor General Michaelle Jean, the personal representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state, to temporarily suspend Parliament, he said. Jean, who is in Prague on a state visit, said she would cut short her trip to try to resolve the crisis. Although Jean mainly plays a figurehead role, her word is final when dealing with constitutional matters. Harper told Parliament that the coalition deal was "the worst mistake the Liberal Party has ever made in its history". Conservative legislators chanted "Shame, shame" at the opposition during an often charged session of Parliament. "The highest principle of Canadian democracy is that if you want to be prime minister, you get your mandate from the Canadian people, not the separatists," said Harper. Liberal leader Stephane Dion shouted back: "Every member of this House has received a mandate from the Canadian people... The prime minister doesn't have the support of this House." The Harper aide said political rallies would be held to protest against the proposed coalition and said Harper might make a national televised address. Groups who favor the idea, including some of the country's biggest unions, also released plans for a series of rallies. The Conservatives released two radio ads, one of which said: "This is Canada. Power must be earned, not taken." |
