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Martin faces big decision on blueprint
Globe and Mail
By CAMPBELL CLARK
With reports from Gloria Galloway and Jane Taber
Thursday, October 7, 2004 - Page A1
OTTAWA -- The Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois joined forces yesterday to push unusually substantive amendments to the government's Throne Speech, forcing Prime Minister Paul Martin to consider whether he will risk the survival of his government by rejecting them.
Mr. Martin and a group of senior ministers huddled last night to consider whether to swallow opposition priorities or subject their minority government to a potentially dangerous vote.
Although the Bloc and the Conservatives insisted the amendments were "reasonable" and not dramatically out of line with Liberal policy, no federal government has ever accepted such detailed changes to its Throne Speech, the statement of its agenda that opens a new Parliament.
The amendments include calls for the government to consider an independent employment insurance commission to set premiums, a citizens assembly to review electoral reform, a reduction in taxes for low-income families, and a Commons vote to determine whether Canada will participate in the U.S. missile-defence program.
The Speech from the Throne is a matter of confidence on which the government can fall, so rejecting opposition amendments to the motion supporting it could cost a minority government the votes it needs to survive. The alternative is to accept the amendments.
"From now on, the burden of proof belongs to Paul Martin," Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe said. "He is responsible for whether his government holds together, or falls."
In the Commons, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper insisted the amendments do not conflict with Liberal policy. "They are reasonable, moderate proposals that reflect the viewpoints of several parties and, frankly, of the vast majority of Canadians. They are not inconsistent with the Throne Speech, the kind of amendments the Government House Leader said he would consider, but they do put some meat on the bare bones of the government's very vague promises."
Mr. Harper said he has no intention of toppling the government at the first opportunity -- but his House Leader, John Reynolds, said the Liberals must ensure that by accepting the amendments.
Government House Leader Tony Valeri danced around that decision late yesterday, saying the government would have to study the amendments first. "I need to look at the intent of the amendments, and secondly what the impact would be on the intent of the government."
Mr. Martin met last night with a group of senior ministers.
Some Liberal MPs suggested the amendments are unacceptable; Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan warned the opposition that it is "not a time" to be "unnecessarily provocative."
Together, the Conservatives and the Bloc hold 153 seats in the 308-seat assembly, and both parties insisted they would demand that all MPs be present tonight to vote on the first of two amendments. "We are not going to purposely relax party discipline for MPs to miss votes so that the government can stay in power," Tory whip Jay Hill said.
Mr. Duceppe said: "All [Bloc MPs] will be present. Not only will I ask for it, but I am telling you that all must be present."
That would leave the two opposition parties one vote shy of a majority, since Commons Speaker Peter Milliken, a Liberal, votes only to break a tie -- and therefore the deciding vote could be in the hands of the lone independent, Chuck Cadman, a former Conservative. Mr. Cadman has said he will wait to hear the debate on the amendments, but that he is not eager to defeat the government so soon.
NDP Leader Jack Layton made it clear that his 19 MPs will vote with the government, even though his party supports the principles expressed in the amendments. He suggested that the Conservatives and the Bloc were manoeuvring to make Mr. Harper prime minister.
If the government falls on the Throne Speech, Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson could ask Mr. Harper to form a government if she feels it could survive, said Queen's University constitutional expert Charles Franks. That would probably require some indication that a majority -- the Bloc and at least one other MP -- would support it.
The Bloc and Conservatives have ruled out a pact.
Although Mr. Layton faulted Mr. Martin for failing to consult the opposition parties, he said he had no desire to see Mr. Harper replace him as prime minister.
"What we're seeing is a dangerous game of driving cars toward each other at accelerated speed with the lights on in the dark. We're saying open your eyes, get this situation sorted out, stop playing the game of politics," he said.
Indeed, the fight over the Throne Speech has an air of gamesmanship, as many politicians on both sides say they are convinced the other will blink, and the government will not fall. Tonight, the first of the two amendments will come to a vote -- the one proposed by the Bloc. It asks for Ottawa to ensure the jurisdictions of the provinces are respected and that "the fiscal pressures they suffer because of the fiscal imbalance are alleviated."
Liberals could fall in evening confidence vote
By ALLISON DUNFIELD
Globe and Mail Update
07 Oct 04
The Liberal minority government and the opposition Tories and Bloc Québécois are locked in a political wrestling match Thursday that could cause the relatively newly elected government to be toppled.
Thursday evening, MPs will vote on a Bloc Québécois sub-amendment to the government's Throne Speech. However, the Liberal government has made the sub-amendment a confidence motion, meaning that if it passes, the Liberal minority government will fall.
The Conservative Party said Thursday it will vote with the Bloc Québécois on the Bloc's sub-amendment to the Throne Speech.
"This concern about the fiscal disequalibrium is not only shared by the Bloc Québécois and my party, but every provincial government in this entire country," Tory Leader Stephen Harper told reporters outside the House of Commons Thursday.
On the opposite side, Liberal House Leader Tony Valeri said "having this amendment pass the House fundamentally alters the responsibility and the role of the federal government," and the Liberals cannot accept the Bloc amendment as worded.
The Liberals need the support of the NDP and one independent MP to get the amendment thrown out.
If the Bloc and Tories all vote together, they will have 152 votes. If the Liberal and the NDP vote together, as is expected, they will also come up with 152 votes. Thus, it may be up to the House's one independent MP, Chuck Cadman, to break the tie. Normally, the House Speaker would break the tie.
Mr. Cadman has not indicated how he will vote, although he said earlier this week that he wasn't eager to see the government fall and to see another election called.
CBC reported that he had not been contacted by the Tories but had been contacted by the Liberals.
However, not every MP may show up Thursday night.
The Tories said at least two of their MPs were too ill to attend the vote and one Bloc MP was unable to show up.
At least one Liberal was not likely to show up, while all New Democrats were expected to vote.
Tory Leader Stephen Harper said the government did not have to make Thursday's sub-amendment a confidence motion.
"It's only the government suggesting it's a vote of confidence and only the government suggesting it must have dire consequences. I don't think this is responsible."
Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe also told reporters that it was the government's choice to make the vote a confidence motion.
The amendment, which is to be voted on at approximately 6:30 p.m. EDT, asks Ottawa to respect provincial jurisdictions and take into account that federal taxing powers weaken provincial ability to raise revenues.
Mr. Valeri said the amendment "suggests that the federal government abdicate its responsibility for the physical framework and for unifying the country itself."
Mr. Valeri said it would alter the physical framework of the country and the Liberals cannot accept it. And Liberal Environment Minister Stéphane Dion told reporters that the government cannot allow one province to dictate how Ottawa conducts its business.
Jean Lapierre, the party's Transport Minister and Quebec lieutenant, said that he is confident Canadians don't want to see the government fall and have to go back to the polls.
Jack Layton, NDP Leader, also said he thinks Thursday's deadlock is a political ploy and not a game the NDP wants to play. They will vote against the amendment along with the Liberals.
"Our intention is to vote against the subamendment because the consequences of voting as Mr. Duceppe and Mr. Harper would have us vote would be that four hours from now, we would either be in an election or there would be a change of government in the House of Commons....that's not what Canadians want to see," Mr. Layton said.
Prime Minister Paul Martin was asked what would happen if the his government would lose the vote.
"This is such a fundamental issue that if the government were to fall on that point, we would go to the polls," Mr. Martin said.
With a report from Canadian Press
Parliamentary crisis averted
By ALLISON DUNFIELD
Globe and Mail Update
07 Oct 04
Prime Minister Paul Martin avoided a confidence vote and the potential fall of his Liberal minority government by coming to an agreement with opposition party leaders over a Bloc Québécois sub-amendment to the Liberal Throne Speech.
Mr. Martin and the leaders of the Bloc and Conservatives agreed to support the Bloc sub-amendment to the government's speech after certain changes were made.
The Tories and Bloc agreed to a wording change the government found more palatable. The new sub-amendment was passed unanimously by the House without a formal vote. The NDP had agreed all along to support the Liberals and vote against the Bloc sub-amendment, so they were not involved in negotiations.
This move means the Liberal minority is no longer in jeopardy -- for now.
If the government had lost a confidence motion, it would have fallen and an election could possibly have to be called.
"We've agreed to disagree," said Quebec Liberal MP Jean Lapierre outside the House of Commons.
Mr. Martin, appearing somewhat jubilant after the deal was reached, told reporters that this type of incident is what to expect in a minority government situation.
"Democracy's messy. It takes a lot of negotiation."
Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe and Tory Leader Stephen Harper also characterized the deal as successes for their respective parties.
Late Thursday afternoon, just hours before the vote was supposed to happen, Mr. Martin called Opposition Leader Stephen Harper and Mr. Harper called Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe to see if they could reach a consensus. They met in person to finalize the agreement.
The original sub-amendment demanded Ottawa "fully respect the provinces' areas of jurisdiction and the financial pressures the provinces are suffering as a consequence of the fiscal imbalance, as demanded by the premier of Quebec."
The revised version asks that Ottawa "fully respect the provinces' areas of jurisdiction and that the financial pressures some call the fiscal imbalance may be alleviated."
The Liberals had objected to the assertion that there is a fiscal imbalance in the country and argued that bowing to a premier's demands would infringe on federal jurisdiction.
Mr. Duceppe told reporters that he could agree to the removal of the word Quebec from the statement because "his party was not trying to say that Quebec is trying to take control of the fiscal position of Ottawa. It's absolutely absurd to say that."
But he refused to withdraw the term "fiscal imbalance" from the sub-amendment, which the other parties agreed to allow.
Although the Liberal minority government survived its first landmine during its first official week in office, it will soon face another test.
The Tories have proposed amendments to the Throne Speech that will be put to a vote Oct. 18. MPs are to vote on the full speech Oct. 20. A vote on the Throne Speech is considered a confidence vote in the government.
The Tories have said, however, that it is not their intention to bring down the government.
Mr. Martin said that the parties have between now and then to figure something out.
"We'll work with the Conservatives on their amendments, and we'll see what happens. I want Parliament to work," he said.
But he added that the Liberals won't be pushed too far.
"We have a bottom line. There are certain things that we absolutely want to see done. And we're not going to compromise on our bottom line. We're not going to compromise on those things that we feel are essential for Canada to move ahead."
With reports from Canadian Press
Commons sense will prevail, leaders say
'We've got to take some steps to avoid the kind of cliffhanger game of chicken...'
Globe and Mail
By BRIAN LAGHI
With reports from Jane Taber, Gloria Galloway and Drew Fagan
Saturday, October 9, 2004 - Page A4
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Paul Martin and the three opposition leaders further reduced the temperature on Parliament Hill yesterday by declining to move new amendments like the one that almost sank the government Thursday night.
Sources said yesterday that Mr. Martin phoned Conservative Stephen Harper, Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Québécoic and Jack Layton of the New Democratic Party, and there was general agreement among the leaders that the kind of razor's edge politics of the previous day is to be avoided.
Federal officials suggested that, barring unexpected issues, the first confidence vote in the House of Commons after likely approval of the Speech from the Throne won't come until December -- when a vote is traditionally held to approve standard government expenditures.
Liberal House Leader Tony Valeri and senior Conservative officials said yesterday they were hopeful that a Tory amendment to the government motion to accept the Speech from the Throne would pass muster without the brinkmanship that on Thursday could have led to the defeat of the minority government and a general election.
Although few senior officials of any party believed an election was imminent, the parliamentary collapse was avoided only after Mr. Martin, Mr. Harper and Mr. Duceppe forged a last-minute compromise on the wording of a Bloc subamendment to the speech on addressing the so-called the fiscal imbalance.
Yesterday, Mr. Valeri said the vote on the Tory amendment -- to be held later this month -- will be considered one of confidence.
However, he promised that the drama of Thursday will not be repeated.
Speaking at a breakfast meeting in Ottawa, Mr. Valeri emphasized co-operation in this minority Parliament and the fact that he believes the government can work.
About the near-debacle on Thursday, he said the government had little time to analyze the Bloc amendment and negotiate with the opposition.
Mr. Valeri said the vote on the Tory amendment will be different as the government will have a number of days for discussions.
He also said the government plans to introduce more than 40 bills between now and when the House breaks in early December.
The government started by introducing 11 bills yesterday, including proposed legislation to protect whistleblowers, fight child pornography and create a learning bond to assist with education costs.
Senior Conservatives said yesterday that they felt their amendment would pass, given the fact that the government acceded to the Bloc's reworked subamendment. The Tories also believe there will be fewer issues of confidence over the next few months given what took place over the past week. One senior Tory said the next such vote would probably take place when the government unveils its budget next February.
The Conservatives also believe they won points Thursday by setting a precedent for the future.
Mr. Layton said he met with Mr. Martin yesterday morning to discuss ways of preventing similar close calls.
"We've got to take some steps now to avoid the kind of cliffhanger game of chicken that we saw just yesterday," said Mr. Layton, adding that he offered Mr. Martin "both some procedural suggestions and some content ideas and the response certainly was not negative."
Parliament must learn from what transpired "in the dying hours of the so-called crisis" when reason took over from responsibility, the NDP Leader said.
The parties must negotiate now to ensure that a repeat crisis is not created over the Tory amendment, Mr. Layton said. That could be achieved by simply declaring that it is not a matter of confidence, he said.
