Update: NDP conference call audio is now on Youtube courtesy Stephen Taylor.
Blow up the Hill…
The New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois had a secret plan to form a coalition party well before the opposition’s uproar over the government’s fiscal update, CTV News has learned.
NDP Leader Jack Layton was in talks with Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe for a “considerable period of time,” reported CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.
Layton held a telephone-conference meeting with his caucus Saturday morning that was recorded by a Conservative member. According to the audio tape, Layton appears to take credit for the possibility of a coalition.
“Let’s just say we have strategies. This whole thing would not have happened if the moves hadn’t been made with the Bloc a long time ago and locked them in early,” Layton says. “Because, you couldn’t put three people together in one or three hours. The first part was done a long time ago.”
He then goes on to say that the NDP “spotted and prepared for the opportunity and had taken the steps that were required, so that when the opportunity arose, which was when Mr. Harper made his disastrous strategic error by not providing stimulus to the economy and instead playing political games, we were able to move and things began to move very quickly.”
Update: Stephen Taylor has the transcript of the NDP conference call.
Update 2 – Signs arise of a rift between the Loser Who Would Be King and the Heir Apparent…
I hope this doesn’t happen. However my faith in people is limited these days. Don’t forget that 60% of the electorate voted for a socialist/communist agenda and the canard of “stimulus package” is blasted over and over again by the media as it was necessary. No matter how many times it failed, most people in this country is inclined to give socialism/communism another try.
Prime Minister Harper will release some ADSCAM news, as soon as he feel it will have it’s maximum impact!!
Iggy has good instincs here.
He senses impending disaster for the Librannos (dogh! NOT AGAIN?)He already has his fingers close to his ears, waiting for the kaboom.
Poor Dijon, and DAFFY JACK LAYDOW… won’t know what hit’em.
You heard it here first.
Oh and “Jack and Gilles..”
GOOD ONE!!! hahahaha!!
As you were…
I believe that this coalition has been in the works a long time and PMSH knew about it. If my memory is right this idea was floated during the past election and Mr. Dion said he would never consider an alliance with the NDP it would be the ruination of our economy. Or something like that.
I think that the Prime Minister threw the monkey wrench at them with the thought of stopping the $1.95 to get their attention. I am sure he would like to do just that, but it was more to bring them out from under their rocks. This lets all Canadians know what the LIBs/Dips/and BQ are about. Themselves. This was an economic review not a budget. You don’t throw billions at companies without looking at their financial statements. I live in an auto community and they have been mismanaging their monies for years. This area has had more recessions than I care to remember. Now the Prime Minister knows full well you don’t put the country into a huge deficit by willynilly throwing money at the problem That’s what the NDP does.
The Prime Minister knew that the opposition would try to form a coalition government. Did he believe that the GG would go along with it. I don’t think so. So, he took that little statement out and will send it out by itself for approval. I believe it will be a confidence motion. Then the citizens can see – for certain what this is all about. The 3 little pigs do not want to lose their trough.
If the GG goes along with this hair brained bloodless coup, you can bet their will be an uproar in Canada and her job along with her office will be on the line. Don’t really see the need for her anyways, it is just costing us taxpayers a pile of money.
The Canadians I speak to who are not all Conservative, are absolutely furious at the thought of this unholy alliance with the Bloq. It is tantamount to treason. If this takes place the opposition will sit across the aisle from the Conservatives for a very long time. PMSH will get his majority and we will see a lot more dismantled other than the entitlements. Can hardly wait.
Tim R, why would the media be on the side of Layton?
Do you remember when the media’s Elizabeth Thompson reported on a private Conservatives’ meeting where the speaker was Frank Lutz, by sitting out in the hallway?
She explained that if they were prepared to let their words be heard out in the hallway, then it was fair game to report.
If the NDP were careless enough to let their words about pretty significant plotting against the elected government of Canada, be heard and recorded, then the truth will be exposed.
What Canadian could sit on that?
Just saw Iggy interviewed on Question Period. He is hedging his bets so doggedly that he doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going.
When he claims not to know what’s going on in the negotiations I started to laugh. I can’t believe that he literally out of the loop.
Judging by what we now know about the NDP/Bloc negotiations that have been going on for some time, the idea that the opposition is doing this because of the government’s lack of a “stimulus” package is clearly just a smokescreen.
At least two of the parties in the coalition have been in cahoots for a while, and were only waiting to get the third party on board before springing the surprise.
When asked about the details of a coalition stimulus package, Iggy made some remarks about collective bargaining rights for public employees and the lack of equal pay for equal work legislation. What’s that got to do with any “stimulus”?
More evidence that the coalition is based on nothing but a grab-bag of contradictory, useless ideas. These clowns are clearly making this up as they go along.
“I’m not privy to any backroom deals”…. Michael Ignatieff on Question Period (CTV) Sunday.
I haven’t seen it mentioned, but I’d suggest there is a good deal of internal machination going on within the Liberal Pary, with the NDP simply exploiting it for their own gain.
Stephane Dion was deeply wounded on a psychological, personal level by his rejection and the historic loss of Liberal seats on October 14th. This was compounded by his loss of face due to having been forced to back down on six consecutive confidence votes – repeatedly humiliated by Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party.
I believe Dion has been egged on by party insiders -including M. Ignatieff – who see no down side in bringing down the govenment in order to temporarily install Dion. In other words, true to form, Dion’s ego has blinded him to the fact that he is again being used as a fall guy by his own party.
A bitter Dion will see this as ‘pay back’ to the man who destroyed what should rightfully have been his. A last chance pportunity to be, however briefly, the Prime Minister of Canada and the means to strike back at and humiliate his nemisis, Stephen Harper.
Meanwhile, the front man to the media is one Michael Ignatieff, the error apparent (sic) who while claiming “hey, it wasn’t me making the deal” believe he will be the beneficiary. Dion may in turn have his personal campaign debt paid, but even without that, I think his deep seated anger and disappointment would drive him to this rash decision.
Liberal politics has always been Machivallian.
Nevermind. That’s not what he said.
He’s still a twit.
I can’t remember the last time I watched CTV’s Question Period but I watched it today. Actually it came on after the NFL game I was watching ended. Mensa candidate Craig Oliver was interviewing the federal Minister of Finance, Flaherty. He was on a roll “grilling” the minister about not bringing forth a stimulus package. The Finance Minister reminded Oliver that the government had brought forth several measures that provide for “long-term” stimulus, not just temporary and as an example he mentioned the 2 percentage points cut in the GST.
Then Craig reminded us all that he truly is the idiot many believe him to be. He said, as God is my and alot of other people’s witness, “tax cuts don’t put money is people’s pockets!” He said it, he really did.
The smile on Flaherty’s face was big and wide. I’m sure he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
>>As I’ve said before, I am a born and bred Westerner. Stephen Harper is the elected Prime Minister.
>>I will not acknowledge an unelected PM. or any illegal coalition.
>>Yes it sure the fu*k is illegal in my view.
>>I will not obey your coup, but I will fight you, whoever the hell you are.
>>Long live the Western Republic.
I am a born and bred Easterner, and I too do not consent to be governed by this coalition of socialist bastards.
Here in our little 905-area Ontario town, many of us are actively working on how to stand up to these leftist thugs. Since we sit almost astride North America’s busiest highway, some have suggested turning to the local Aboriginals for consultation and advice…
Some thoughts:
First, I mused a day or so ago on an earlier post that perhaps Stephen’s aggressive funding cuts were a pre-emptive strike – that he knew the oppo parties were planning a non-confidence vote and he wanted to get them frothing at the mouth and then slowly retreat to a place where they could not vote non-con and expect to get a coalition. (i actually got bit of that plotting-vibe from some of the people I talked to at the winnipeg convention and in the level of vitriol and bluster coming from Warren Kinsella (i.e. higher than normal)
Today’s revelation of this tape strengthens my suspicions…
It also demonstrates that the oppo parties are not interested in CDA’s best interests but their own. Otherwise why plot with a party that wishes to destroy confederation when nothing has happened?
The key going forward is to not let the oppo parties get the chance to move for a coalition. The likely choice will be to prorogue parliament until the budget in January. A non-con vote on the budget should be enough of an issue for the GG to trigger a new election rather than allow a coalition to takeover. And if the budget is defanged and accomadating enough the oppo parties will back away from the whole idea.
…
Clausewitz and others have talked about the fog of war. What we are seeing is the fog of politics. We may not, if ever know the whole story of who knew/planned what and when.
An example of where this has happened in the past is detailed in Robert Caro’s biography on LBJ. In it he details all of what happened leading up to the passing of a the civil rights act (ever) in the 50’s. Some key players had no idea what actually happened until the book was published in the ’90s – they thought LBJ was a dupe when in fact it was they who were taken in.
The same may be happening now – the fox may be the chicken and vice versa – we may never know…
Wow. With the revelation of talks between Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe, this is beginning to be very reminiscent of the conniving, backstabbing and coalition building of ‘Survivor’
different bob…My wife made me turn the TV off as she was getting more and more frustrated by the MSM’s lies.Thanks for the update.I can’t believe Oliver actually said that,it would be funny if it were not so pathetic.
There is plenty we can do to undermine an illegal coalition. First, stockpile canned goods and fill the freezer, starting now. Get involved in the underground economy system. Buy only staples for the duration. Try the bartering system. Forget the stock market it’s lousy anyways. Withold your income taxes. Some things are worth fighting for. That’s Democracy.
Harper better do a few things:
Cancel the rest of the parliamentary session,
Stack the senate the way Mulroney did (to ensure Dion and Layton don’t if they do steal power,)
Ask the queen to recall her governor general and replace her with someone who isn’t a leftard separatist.
Barring that, when you westerners separate, take us here in western ontario with you. We aren’t Toronto or Ottawa.
And if those scumbags steal the election they just lost, I HOPE for violence.
*
Yeah sure, Jacko… we’re gonna
let you drive the bus.
In your dreams.
*
Andrew Coyne has them stirred up on his blog;
http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/11/30/the-tories-made-them-do-it/#comment-60066
No Guff: I was thinking about Survivor this afternoon as well. I would love another chance to vote a bunch of people off the island.
warwick: I agree woth all of your points save the last one. Demographic trend will do what you desire in time without violence.
Hi
I told you few month ago Obama is new president of united state
then i told you Harper stayed in minority and taht is his last run and may last another year if he is lucky may go to two years
I also told you NDP will come up with new managment and will lead other party soon
still NDP not find their way yet need better direction and leadership
and still i do not like none of them
now i am predicting judges in Ontario need to
changed and we need to have more knowledgable judges who make the order by law not the colour
religion or hate or big company vs small company
this change in hiring new judges is so essential and will change law and order and security for all section in canada will keep Canadian together
not seperated from each other
Hey Warwick I can pick you up on the way to Ottawa.
The Oliver-Flaherty tete-a-tete is posted on the Tass website.
Yeah, my jaw dropped when that old crag Oliver mentioned the ‘tax cuts’ thing.
Pot…….kettle………black
The biggest losers in this putsch will be none other than the LPC. Should this go ahead it could well bring about the demise of the LPC as an active political force in Canada. Of course I’ve heard that the greatest anti-Liberals is one of the brokers of this deal that being one Jean Chretien. Were I a Liberal I would be howling for the head of anyone in leadership who even thinks about joining this disaster in the making.
Listening in on the conference call was Frat Boy politics for sure….but I’ll take FratBoyz over Sepertists anyday.
“Mensa candidate Craig Oliver was interviewing”
Its past sunset in the rest of Canada, so once they clear the CTV studio of garlic and silver bullets, its time to roll Craiger out of his crypt and have Captain Ahab pull out his mighty balsawood harpoon to spear his white whale, Stephen Harper.
Mugs,
If the three Chavez wanna-be’s succeed in their coup, I may take you up on that one.
I’m surprised the CBC hasn’t rolled out journalistic ethics specialist Krista Erickson to analyze the implications of this.
The Tories in Ontario should consider crippling the Canadian economy by taking up the native tactic of blockading highways. 5 or 10 blockades of Highway 401 would get the message across. Canada is worth standing up for.
Chretien had a majority government and acted like a cruel demigog while pillaging the public purse with only 38% of the vote.
Trudeau’s largest percentage of votes for his majority government was 41% and decimated Alberta, racked up defecits we are still paying for and created havoc with no opposition allowed.
Liberal goose-Conservative gander????
Also on CTV today,cheers and jeers.Cheers to Broadbent and Chretien for having the compassion and integrity to give up their free time to plot to destroy the country,jeers to all MP’s who are running around screaming “WTF is going on?”.Thank you Jane and Craig.
Its kind of odd that the Watergate plumbers were done in by tape recordings and now the NDP plumbers are done in by tape recordings. Good luck with the NDP lawsuits, Jack.
BTW, it turns out that Jack had the “real” secret agenda this time. But if Jack didn’t hide in his sweatervest, where did he hide it?
quebecois separatist:” We had enough of him [PMSH].
Well, speak for yourself. Frankly, I’ve had enough of YOU and your Bloc Quebecois. For crying out loud, leave Canada and leave the rest of us alone.
If the Bloc Quebecois needs 86% of its funding provided by the ROC, then it’s not really a self-supporting party, is it? It’s a parasiste.
NO THANKS.
When NFLD fishermen had their cod quotas cut, they rioted and burned the minister’s constituency office.
Just saying.
A government of national unity is what is needed right now. Ignatieff should lead the loyal faction (loyal to Canada, that is) out of the Liberal caucus to meet independently, and that party however named or constituted should support the government for at least the next two years through this financial and looming geopolitical crisis.
This could be the end of the Liberal Party of Canada, and it would be good riddance too. Let the party split, part can join the NDP, and the other part the CPC. This will restore balance to our national politics. We have been too far to the left for the country’s good for fifteen years now (some would say forty).
Dion and Layton have succumbed to the illusion that the American election somehow defines our political future. We don’t have to charge down that utopian road to nowhere, let’s keep our feet on the ground and soldier on with the lesser evil we know, not this evil we also know from our history books.
Any more of this and Dion, Rae, Layton and Duceppe should be kicked out of parliament, don’t they all take an oath of loyalty. This is not loyalty, this is sheer opportunism and at the worst possible time. They have no mandate of any kind from the voters. Let’s hope Ignatieff has more sanity than the four of them put together.
http://tinyurl.com/5dccja
Video of Flaherty on CTV with Craig Oliver this morning. Jim was bang on this morning.
NDP is considering legal action against the Tories because of this tapping of a private meeting.
I retract all my statements about Canadian politics being boring. This stuff is so absurd and bizzare that I can’t help but laugh out loud. Remarkable. And hilarious.
As usual, the NDP is being asses.
You can’t whine that someone taped you fricken CONFERENCE CALL!!!
“As for the GG being ‘in’ on this NDP hidden agenda, I strongly doubt this. That would be treason.”
Bwhahahahahahahahha…usually you are right ET…but ROTFLMAO!!! Treason???That word does NOT exist in this farce of a country.Thanks for the chuckle!!
Oh.And my powder is dry and ready to go.You should get some too.
Justthinkin
I’m with you on that. We can’t even charge Khadr with treason. Or the GG’s husband.
No, the fix would be in unless Harper tried to get the queen to recall her. But of course the leftards can subvert democracy do any and all anti-democratic, weaselly, honourless skulduggery and the media will defend them. Harper can’t do the normal business of governing without the scumbag bastard media knifing him.
Central Canada Concept Party – CCCP.
Just what criminal charges are NDP talking about?
Jack Layton is easily the dumbest politician ever in Canada. He had a chance to supplant Grits as second party, but instead has joined them at the funeral pyre.
Next election, whenever it happens, will present a no-brainer for Tories to portray a vote for NDP or Bloc as vote for Liberals. Voters now will weigh the impact of a Harper majority with that of a “progressive” coalition.
How many soft Lib voters will see this as unacceptable, and go for the known quantity, Harper as PM, but this time with majority?
This coalition idea is turning out to be the single worst miscalculation in Canadian political history. They might as well go for the whole thing now. Unfortunately, they will likely get humiliated in parliament, with several Liberals getting a cold, or later when GG does grant dissolution with certitude opposition cannot govern.
Even if one thinks Harper miscalculated with remove vote subsidy legislation, the opposition harpooned themselves with their coalition response, authored by dinosaurs Chretien and Broadbent.
Surely, Dion and Layton must now be jettisoned. Duceppe, once again, has proved himself the top Macchavelian of them all – notice his silence in all this, which I interpret as “no thanks” to Layton offer, ending any chance for viable coalition proposal to take to GG.
Duceppe already knew cooperation with any federalist party would erode his support in Quebec, as it always has.
Maybe the Liberals will abstain.
From the Mop & Pail:
A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office said there was nothing unethical about covertly listening in to the private NDP deliberations, taping those discussions and releasing them to the media.
An unidentified Tory was “invited” to participate in the call, said PMO spokesman Dimitri Soudas.
“Maybe the invitation was meant for the Bloc, and they accidentally invited us. We were invited. When you get invited somewhere you have the opportunity to choose to participate or not participate.”
And these rocket scientists think they can run the country and outwit the Vile Duplicitous?
Imagine being the Conservative at the meeting, barely able to contain themselves, I’m sure. Trying not to break out into a
I suspect Dolly’s analysis is close.
We also know that at least one NDPer is not happy with Layton’s deal with the Devil. Which would explain how the Cons got on the call. It would also suggest that Harper likely had advance warning of the of the scheme.
Layton’s ploy makes perfect sense. Together, the NDP/Bloc would have 86 seats, enough to make him Leader of the Opposition!
But why stop there? Now he calls on the dead man walking and offers him part of the deal. Dion has nothing to lose. He gets to be Prime Minister, Rae and Iggy are sidetracked, and the evil Harper is gone.
By now Jack has alienated at least one member of his own caucus and several Iggy supporters in the Lib group. Hard to keep secrets. Before any deal can be announced, Harper drops the funding bomb.
I still think the NDP/Bloc alliance is still viable. Charest is crusing towards a federalist majority in Quebec. The whole raison d’etre of the Bloc has become irrelevant. Duceppe could be planning his long rumoured jump to the PQ. By aligning with the NDP, the Bloc remains the Quebec alternative. Vote splitting works to their combined favour.
But there are too many divisions in the Liberal party to complete the deal. If Dion can’t drag enough MPs with him to the coalition party, he will encounter the proverbial sharp blade to his spine by next weekend.
From the transcript:
Jack Harris asks Jack Layton if they’re looking at short-term or 2 or 3 years. Layton answers, “Longer term. Not short term.”
That sound you just heard was the very last shred of Layton’s credibility (assuming that he ever had any) being flushed down the toilet.
kathryn,
Layton never had any credibility and the idiot retards who vote for him never cared and never will.
SHamrock, you are correct to notice Duplicitous’s silence. I’ve been looking all over for his word. Can’t find it, even in French media.
Professor Dijon, Taliban Jackel and Captain Duplicitous.
This sounds like the title of a Tin Tin comic book 🙂 (which I still get enormous enjoyment from)
John, I really don’t know whether this “Internal Liars Party division” is real’ the Cretin was involved.
Canadian Politics: The Comic Book:
Scene one:
Tin Tin Harper is walking through a city, any city but probably Toronto, with his trusty dog, Snowy Flaherty, when he passes an alleyway, where he hears strange and threatening voices.
“What’s that! Snowy?”
Snowy scampers into the shadows of the alley and runs back out yelping – pursued by Taliban Jackel, a mean and secretive beast.
To save Snowy, TT Harper waves his arms in the air with much noise, distracting the Jackel to chase him, rather than the poor, diligent and under-appreciated Snowy.
Emerges a confused and dopey Professor Dijon, intellect in hand. Followed Captain Duplicitous, leading from the rear as usual.
The game is hot. Taliban Jackel has now lost his bearings, only thinking of the Pursuit Of Power. The absent-minded Professor is chasing pantingly after him, secret tapes reeling out of his white coat pockets.
Meanwhile, Captain Duplicitous has stopped by a bakery to chat up a charming lady with much buxom.
Suddenly, from the sky! the sky! appears two super-heros, Iggy and B-Ray. They interrupt the script with their fight to the death.
Good night kiddies. I hope you enjoyed the story.
RW,
You forgot the part where the angry villagers with torches and pitchforks tar and feather Dijon, Duplictous and the Jackel and run them out of town then form a betting pool over who gets to lynch the winner of Iffy and B-ray’s fight to the death.
“The Tories in Ontario should consider crippling the Canadian economy by taking up the native tactic of blockading highways. 5 or 10 blockades of Highway 401 would get the message across. Canada is worth standing up for.”
Why block Ontario highways? Drive down the road to the Quebec border and stop traffic entering Quebec. It is about time they are punished for the damage they are doing to Canada.