Liberal Leader Stephane Dion says he will wait until after next month's throne speech before deciding to vote down the Conservative government.
Dion said he will need to hear Prime Minister Stephen Harper's response to four key issues before deciding how to vote after the Oct. 16 speech. They include:
- Canadian notification to NATO that it will end its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2009. The government must make clear the wording of the motion, and confirm how it will vote.
- A commitment to reintroducing Bill C-30 in the new parliamentary season, which is designed to protect the environment and fight the effects of climate change.
- Addressing the manufacturing challenges facing Canada's economy.
- Setting out a plan to combat poverty in Canada.
"We'll see what's in the throne speech,'' Dion told reporters Sunday. "There's no question of rejecting the throne speech without seeing it.''
Dion said without these four key elements, "you can understand we will not be able to rise to support such a throne speech."
In early September, Harper decided to delay the opening of the fall session of Parliament by a month. He will go back to Parliament with a speech from the throne in mid-October, setting up the possibility of an election if the opposition parties vote against it.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe outlined five "non-negotiable" conditions Saturday that the minority government must meet in order to secure his party's support, including an end to the Afghanistan mission, the elimination of federal spending power in provincial jurisdictions and respect of Kyoto Protocol targets.
NDP Leader Jack Layton would not stipulate his plans for a vote on the throne speech, but last Monday said he was likely to oppose it.
The Conservative minority government needs the support of at least one opposition party to survive a confidence vote in late October.
Former Liberal cabinet minister and political analyst Jean Lapierre told CTV's Question Period that the Liberal caucus will have to debate the likelihood of Dion gaining popularity against voting down the throne speech.
"Mr. Dion has to realize that he really can't sell himself to Canadians so he's got to have a very strong team to make up for his weaknesses," Lapierre said on Sunday.
Lapierre said Harper is likely to deliver a safe throne speech in order to delay an election until the spring -- when the government will have the opportunity to produce a "popular budget" that opposition parties will have trouble voting down.
"The tone of the speech for the throne is going to be quite neutral to give at least the Liberals a hook," Lapierre predicted.
Conservative strategist Goldy Hyder told CTV's Question Period that the opposition parties are clearly "spooked" by an "honest and clean" Tory government and are treading on dangerous ground.
"Basically the opposition parties are playing a $300 million game of chicken with taxpayer's money. This is irresponsible and I think people see it for what it is," Hyder said on Sunday.
With files from The Canadian Press
