Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has arrived at Rideau Hall and is meeting with Gen. Michaelle Jean to ask to have Parliament suspended in order to keep his government alive.

Harper wasted no time, arriving at the residence in a motorcade and quickly entering the building through the side door.

He is expected to address reporters after the meeting.

"It's going to be fascinating to see how long this meeting goes," CTV's Rosemary Thompson told Â鶹ӰÊÓnet.

"He's going to have to make his case to the Governor General. I don't think he's going to just say 'I want to prorogue.' He's going to have to make a case for why he wants to do it."

Jean returned home early from a central European tour on Wednesday to deal with the political crisis that has gripped the nation.

The Liberals and New Democrats have formed a coalition agreement, with the support of the Bloc Quebecois, and have petitioned Jean to give them a chance to win the confidence of the House of Commons if the government falls.

On Wednesday night Harper made a rare nationally televised address.

In the five-minute pre-taped broadcast Harper said the opposition plans to oust his government and seize power would cripple the country's economy.

"The opposition is attempting to impose this deal without your say, without your consent and without your vote," he said.

Harper also signaled he would be willing to work with the opposition parties in order to deliver an economic plan that will help Canada navigate perilous economic times.

"Canada's government is acting to deal with the crisis right now," he said, adding that the opposition parties should "bring forward specific proposals.

"In fact, we have already changed some of our own proposals to meet their concerns."

Later on Wednesday, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion took to the airwaves after a major delay that saw national networks filling time as they waited for the tape to arrive.

He said the Conservatives have done little to help Canadians cope with the global economic crisis.

"Stephen Harper still refuses to propose measures to stimulate the Canadian economy," said Dion. "His mini-budget last week demonstrated that his priority is partisanship and settling ideological scores.

Dion also worked to reassure Canadians that a coalition government could efficiently work for the best interests of the country.

"Coalitions are normal and current practice in many parts of the world and are able to work very successfully," he said.

"They work with simple ingredients: consensus, goodwill and cooperation. Consensus is a great Canadian value."

NDP and Bloc respond

The NDP's Jack Layton said Wednesday that while other countries have been working to stimulate their economies, the Conservatives have been wasting time with partisan politics.

"Stephen Harper simply refused to act," he said, adding the Conservatives also attacked the rights of workers and women.

The opposition began to cobble together their coalition after the Tories proposed last week to cut public funding for political parties as a part of their fall economic update.

The update also lacked a sufficient stimulus package, the opposition has said.

If Jean refuses to grant prorogation and the scheduled Monday vote on the government's fiscal update does go forward, it is widely expected the opposition parties will vote down the confidence motion and topple the government.

If that happens, Jean would have to decide whether to send Canadians to the polls for another election, or grant the coalition the opportunity to govern.

Under the terms of the deal, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion would lead the coalition, and therefore serve as interim prime minister, until a leadership convention in May.