Canada's PM says bid to topple him is undemocratic

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-04 10:03

TORONTO -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday condemned an opposition plan to oust his government in an upcoming confidence vote, calling the effort a threat to Canada's economy and democracy.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper prepares his speech to the nation from his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008. With a confidence vote set for Monday, Harper faces the possibility of a parliamentary defeat that would send the country toward a new election or give his opponents a chance to form a coalition government. [Agencies]

Harper, speaking in a televised address, vowed to use "every legal means" to stop the opposition from unseating his minority Conservative government next week and replacing it with an opposition-led coalition.

The embattled Conservative leader was responding to three parties that have united in opposition to his handling of the economy, saying he has failed to present a plan for dealing with the global economic crisis.

A cabinet minister has suggested that Harpoer would ask Governor General Michaelle Jean to suspend Parliament until next month, giving him needed time to develop a stimulus package.

Harper said later that he will visit the governor general Thursday to discuss the political crisis, but his statement didn't elaborate further.

Opposition Liberal leader Stephane Dion said a suspension of Parliament would only delay the inevitable. Dion urged Jean in a letter Wednesday to reject Harper's request, arguing it would prolong a parliamentary crisis and exacerbate the country's economic difficulties.

If successfurl, it would be the first time that a Canadian government has been ousted in a confidence vote and replaced by an opposition coalition without an intervening election.

"The Opposition does not have the democratic right to impose a coalition," Harper told the nation in a taped address from his office in Parliament. "The Opposition is attempting to impose this deal without your say, without your consent, and without your vote. This is no time for backroom deals."

Harper said it was a pivotal moment in Canada's history, a time of global economic instability when Canada's government must stand unequivocally for keeping the country together. He said the government cannot enter into a power-sharing coalition with a separatist party, referring to the Bloc Quebecois from the french-speaking province of Quebec. The Bloc is backing a coalition led by the Liberals and Democrats.

Harper's Conservative Party was re-elected Oct. 14 with a strengthened minority government.

The move against him was also fueled by a proposal to scrap public subsidies for political parties, something the opposition groups rely on more than the Conservatives. Although that proposal was scrapped, the opposition has continued to seek his ouster by saying he has lost the trust and confidence of the 308 seat Parliament.

"Stephen Harper still refuses to propose measures to stimulate the Canadian economy," Dion said in a televised address of his own. "The Harper Conservatives have lost the confidence of the majority of members of the House of Commons. In our democracy, in our Parliamentary system, in our constitution this means that they have lost the right to govern."

Jean, who is the representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as head of state, holds a mostly ceremonial position. But it will be her decision on whether to suspend Parliament.

Jean cut short a European trip and returned to Canada Wednesday night to deal with the political crisis which could force the second national election in two months, lead to an opposition coalition taking power or result in a suspension of Parliament until next month.

"There is no precedent whatsoever in Canada and probably in the Commonwealth," Constitutional scholar and Queen's University political scientist Ned Franks said. "We are in uncharted territory."

If Jean refuses his request to suspend Parliament he could step down or wait to until he's defeated in Monday's confidence vote, Franks said.

The Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois, which together control a majority of Parliament's 308 seats, signed a pact agreeing to vote this coming Monday to oust Harper's minority government and setting the structure for their proposed coalition government.

The Conservatives are pursuing a public relations campaign against the opposition that includes rallies across the country and radio ads saying power should be earned and not taken.