South Asian Outlook : An Independent e-Monthly | Non-confidence move could trigger Election

Non-confidence move could trigger election

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff prepared the caucus members in Sudbury for a fall election.

In a televised address in Sudbury, Ignatieff said, "Mr. Harper, your time is up... The Liberal party cannot support this government any further."

If the Liberals move a motion of non-confidence after the Commons reconvenes on September 14, Canadians could be headed to the polls by late October or early November, the fourth general election in just over five years.

The Conservatives, with just 143 seats in a 308-seat parliament, would have to seek the support of either the New Democrats or the Bloc Québécois to pass legislation.

To trigger an election, all three opposition parties – who hold 161 seats – have to vote to defeat the government.

In a speech to Liberal caucus, Michael Ignatieff declared that Canada can lead in a changing world, but only if we dare to act – by holding the Harper government to account and opposing it in Parliament.

“We can do better,” said the Liberal Leader. “We can be the smartest, healthiest, greenest, hardest-working, most open-minded country there is – but only if we choose to be.”

Ignatieff also cited the government’s failure to meet four benchmarks he set in June as factoring into his decision.

“Mr. Harper, you have failed all four tests,” Mr. Ignatieff said. “You’ve failed to protect the most vulnerable. You’ve failed to create jobs. You’ve failed to defend our health care. You’ve failed to produce a plan to restore our public finances.”

“Stephen Harper doesn’t get it,” he said. “He doesn’t get that Canada’s in a race – that we’ve got to position our country to compete in the 21^st century. We’ve got to make Canada a world leader again – and we’ve got to do it now.”

As part of his vision for rebuilding the Canadian economy, Ignatieff had earlier announced his plan to visit both China and India as part of an effort to open new markets for Canadian exports, and called for an expansion of the G8 to a G20 with a permanent secretariat hosted in Canada.

Committing to bring forward legislation to protect Canadians abroad, Ignatieff also said he would stand by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and make it illegal for the government to pick and choose which citizens it protects.

Ignatieff''s remarks, “Stephen Harper leads a government that doesn’t care. We can do better and we will do better," may become the slogan of the Liberals.