NDP Leader Jack Layton says that while Quebec's exclusion from the Constitution "has got to be dealt with," he would wait to open constitutional negotiations until he has created "the winning conditions for Canada in Quebec."
Layton addressed the issue of Quebec signing on to the Constitution during a Tuesday campaign stop in Montreal. Layton is riding a wave of surging support in Quebec, where polling shows the NDP neck-and-neck with the Bloc Quebecois in Quebec, and in a statistical tie with the Liberals for second place nationally.
Layton said Tuesday he would take steps to bring the province into the constitutional fold, but only when the conditions ensured there is a chance of success.
"What we're saying is that at some point in the future the whole issue of the fact that Quebec hasn't signed on to our Constitution has got to be dealt with," Layton told CTV's Power Play later Tuesday evening.
"But the first step is getting rid of the Stephen Harper government and putting in place a government that can actually work with not only the people of Quebec, but right across the country, and stop this division that we've been getting for far too long."
According to the NDP leader, efforts to reopen constitutional talks with Quebec would begin only when his party creates "those winning conditions for Canada in Quebec, because we're federalists, we want to see this country strong and united. And the best way is to respect the people of Quebec, just like the people of British Columbia want to be respected and they want their concerns listened to."
But Layton was also clear earlier Tuesday that constitutional negotiations with Quebec would not be an NDP government's first priority.
"We don't see it as an immediate issue," Layton told a campaign event in Montreal. "The issues of immediate concern to people are getting a job, the fact that they don't have doctors, the retirement security issues."
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper was also in Quebec Tuesday morning, one of numerous stops he has made in the province.
Harper kicked off his day in the mining town of Asbestos, Que., and was scheduled to wrap up in Ottawa. The Conservative leader is striving to stay on message and to avoid any last minute gaffes that could compromise his lead.
However, he responded to Layton's comments by saying that answering decades-old constitutional questions is not a priority for most Canadians, whether they live inside or outside Quebec.
"They do not want an unstable government that is going to spend time arguing about the Constitution," Harper said. "We went through that for 20 years."
Meanwhile, Layton also evaded questions during his Power Play interview about whether he would join forces with Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff if the Conservatives won the election but did not secure the support of the House of Commons.
"We're working to win the election," Layton said. "But whatever the results are I will take the mandate that I'm given by the Canadian people and we'll try to get results. I'll try to see if we can't convince the other parties to implement what we've talked about. And we'll work in any arrangement that will get those things done."
