OTTAWA – Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff says his party will give the government’s proposal to boost employment insurance benefits for some workers speedy passage through Parliament.
Speaking to reporters a day after the New Democrats, led by Jack Layton, said they will prop up the government until the measure is adopted by Parliament, Ignatieff suggested his party will try to ensure that happens quickly.
“We’re not going to hold it up,” Ignatieff told reporters. “Let’s get it through and get to the motion of non-confidence which we will bring forward in due time.”
Gee that sounds familiar, I wonder why... Oh yeah, because its exactly what we've been saying.
Hat Tip to Dawg
7 comments:
It's all posturing. Now it's Layton who is actually demanding that the bill be held up. The Conservatives are asking for speedy passage, as is the Bloc. Layton "...has said he doesn't want to see any foot-dragging on the EI reforms. But the NDP wants time to go through the bill carefully at committee, including hearing from expert witnesses, to ensure it lives up to its advance billing."
-- http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/697186
See the problem for the NDP? They can be portrayed as holding the bill up... one apparently so precious to the NDP to be worth propping up Harper for the rest of the year.
So basically, exactly what we've been saying all along while the Liberals are the ones suddenly flip-flopping - and you think this makes us look bad?
Truly pathological.
You're mis-reading the situation, Cliff.
Look, this legislation is inadequate. It only helps a small group of unemployed Canadians. It does nothing on access, which was once something the NDP was very concerned about.
We think this government needs to be defeated because it can't be trusted to do what needs to be done to help Canadians on this, and many other issues. That's why we're voting against them on Friday's ways and means, and will be introducing a non-confidence motion week after next.
The NDP says this EI bill is a start, and it will support the government until its passed. So we're saying fine, let's pass the thing right away, get this minimal help out the door right away.
And then the NDP will be free to vote against the government or vote with in next week's Liberal motion of non-confidence motion, safe in the knowledge that the EI changes have been passed.
I responded on my blog.
Basically, beware of how this plays out in voter's minds. If voters noticed all this type of crap, Harper would have lost the last election by a landslide.
Jack is going to look like he's dragging his feet rather than helping those unemployed people he is supposed to be champion of. That's a lot juicer news than the Liberals flipping to support a bill that was going to pass anyway.
I understand that you believe aproximately 60,000 mostly older Canadian workers who will otherwise soon lose their benefits are too 'small a group' to be worth delaying Iggy's grand destiny for, but we'll just have to agree to disagree on that.
As for governments that can't be trusted, like a lot of Canadians I put Liberal governments in the same category. After all it was the Liberals who crippled UI in the first place to finance tax cuts for the rich and big corporations.
A pox on both your houses.
Right, and the liberals are going to fix EI - once elected?
LOL
You got to be kidding
Nay, the libs will say we have to fix the deficit - everybody buckle up - we'll all in this boat together - except for the corporate welfare types because we took care of own first - with goodies, and more to come as we thought they needed 56 billion reduction in their corp taxes, so they can sink the global economy more - but they are our friends - to hell with the local - to hell with human rights in Columbia.
Take a hike
Iggy the Emperor has no clothes.
Jan, it sounds like your conceding that the only choice is a Liberal or Conservative government. Now, I know you're not, that'd be crazy. So if you don't trust either the Liberals or Conservatives to do what you want, isn't there a third choice?
Why not defeat the Conservatives, like Jack had consistently claimed to be a moral imperative, and campaign to elect an NDP government?
Post a Comment