Anniversary of the NDP-Liberal-Bloc Backroom Coalition Deal
One year ago, on December 1st 2008, the Leaders of the NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Liberal Party signed their infamous deal to form a coalition government.
This backroom deal would have overturned the 2008 election and stolen power away from the Government that Canadians had elected just two months earlier.
During the election, the Liberals told voters they could not govern in coalition with the NDP because Layton “does not understand the economy.”
Yet, who was one of the signatories to this backroom deal? Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff signed up for the coalition and told Canadians: “I am prepared to enter into a Coalition government and to lead that government.” (CTV, December 10th, 2008)
Jack Layton’s NDP and the Quebec separatists attempted to do through secret negotiations what they’d been unable to do at the ballot box: win power and impose their agenda on Canadians. In fact, Jack Layton bragged at the time that he was the “glue” of a deal that would in effect give the separatist Bloc a veto over government policy
“…nobody really imagined that it would be possible for the Bloc Quebecois, the Liberal party of Canada ever to enter into any kind of a discussion around the future of the country and it turned out that we were the glue,” said Jack Layton.
This is not what Canadians wanted or expected when they exercised their democratic right to vote. Canadians were shocked by this backroom political posturing and expressed their outrage from coast to coast to coast in rallies and gatherings to protest this shameless grab for power.
Unfortunately, Ignatieff has never completely ruled out entering into another Coalition. In February, he told Canadians: “I would not exclude making arrangements or agreements…with other parties that will allow me to govern.” (Macleans, February 16th, 2009)
A year ago, Michael Ignatieff proved he was out-of-touch with Canadians and only in it for himself by signing up for the Coalition deal.
He has continued to prove that he is out-of-touch with Canadians, by trying to force an unnecessary and unwanted election at every turn, opposing the measures in our Economic Action Plan.
There is every indication that he would again sign a new deal with the Bloc Québécois and NDP if another election fails to produce a majority for any single political party. It is time for Michael Ignatieff to expressly repudiate any new deal with separatists to govern Canada.
