Possible election next spring

From The Globe and Mail Dec. 15, 2006

The possibility of a spring election surfaced yesterday as Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said he expects to oppose the next Conservative budget.

This would mean he would join with Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe, his old political foe, who has already declared he too is willing to topple Stephen Harper's minority government.

However, a few hours after Mr. Dion made his threat, a combative Mr. Harper said yesterday that neither he nor the public have an interest in an election at this time.

"I've got to say I really like this job, I want to keep it a while, I want to get some things done", the Prime Minister said. " I have no reason to call an election. The public's not asking for an election. I don't know what the reason for an election would be."

It was earlier this week that Mr. Ducippe started moving in for the kill when he said he is willing to defeat the Harper government on any one of three fronts: the fiscal imbalance, the Kyoto accord and the military mission in Afghanistan.

But Mr. Harper yesterday angrily rejected calling an election over Afghanistan. "Don't play a game on the backs of Canadian soldiers who are putting their lives at risk for us..."

Mr. Harper argued that the Bloc Leader's concern is a cover for the fact that he wants an election before the Conservatives fix the socalled fiscal imbalance. "I think Mr. Duceppe is looking for an excuse to call an election before we table a budget and we move forward on ore commitment to deal with the fiscal imbalance because Mr. Duceppe has come to realize the longer we have a Conservative government in office that Quebeckers see federalism works, federalism respects them..."