TORONTO - NDP Leader Jack Layton laid out a series of priorities Sunday required from the minority Conservative government before his party would "even consider" throwing it support, but wouldn't say how far he is willing to take those demands.
Immediately cancelling billions in scheduled corporate tax cuts and creating a stimulus package to boost jobs tops the list of conditions, Layton said.
"We've got lots of work to do, and I'll tell you one thing, the New Democrats are going to be there," Layton told a crowd of several hundred gathered at a meeting of the provincial council of Ontario NDP.
"We're going to be the real opposition."
The Harper government will deliver its throne speech on Nov. 19.
In this time of economic crisis, the Conservatives must pay attention to the "real economy," by protecting jobs, pensions, and savings of families, Layton said. He's also seeking "legitimate steps" to fight climate change and called for a more co-operative minority government.
Yet in the face of the Liberals warning Prime Minister Stephen Harper they won't be propping up his government -- as they did in the last session of Parliament -- Layton wasn't saying whether he'd risk triggering another election over his tall order.
"I always take the view that I don't make a statement about how we're going to vote until we hear what the proposal is," he said in an interview.
"In the first case, it's going to be a speech from the throne that will be a confidence motion, and we've set out today the five fundamentals that we must see ... for us to even consider supporting it."
Saying there's "lots of work to do," Layton stressed he believes the country is still waiting for a real plan from Ottawa to combat the effects of the worsening economic situation at home.
"A new approach is required, the truth is clear. And that is simply this -- that markets can bring prosperity but they can't do it alone. And they can't do it left to their own devices."
Training workers to gain skills required for jobs of the 21st century, investing in new energy projects and public transit, and reforming the employment insurance system are also potential solutions to the economy's woes, Layton said.
