NDP targets Dion over looming Tory budget vote

[Lumber]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/02/20/ndp-budget.html

The NDP challenged Stéphane Dion's Liberals on Wednesday to oppose next week's Conservative budget, accusing the party of losing the "moral right" to call itself the official opposition while refusing to bring down Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government.

NDP finance critic Thomas Mulcair said his party had written a letter to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty detailing its concerns with the "wrong track" the Conservatives have taken over the past two years and indicated the New Democrats would vote against the Feb. 26 budget.

Mulcair also ridiculed Dion for showing "incredible weakness" in giving indications earlier this week that his party might abstain from the budget vote, despite "boasting" in a Liberal pamphlet sent around the Ottawa area this week that the party was a "strong and principled alternative" to the Tories.

"That's what the Liberals say about themselves," Mulcair told reporters Wednesday in Ottawa. "We'll find out next week if they'll actually do anything about Harper's agenda."

Following an address to Quebec manufacturers and exporters on Monday, Dion told reporters he won't lean one way or the other on the budget until he has seen the document.

But he added he might allow the budget to pass if it appears "acceptable or at least not too harmful for the Canadian economy."

Dion said his party would decide when it is appropriate to trigger an election, while also noting that an election would cost around $350 million in public expenses.

...accusing the party of losing the "moral right" to call itself the official opposition...

Is it not the responsibility of the official opposition to help keep the government in line, to encourage debate and to criticize government decisions, not to try and bring down the government at every opportunity?

Whether you support the Tori's or not, they are certainly not running this country into the ground. Their job of actually governing is being done quite well, IMHO. The NDP need to shut-up and save the tax payers from having to front another election.

 

[Disenchantedsailor]

They're too busy telling us to negotiaite with our enemies to focus on things like not wasting money

 

[RangerRay]

This is just the Socialist Horde trying to nibble away on the Liberanos' left flank.  They hope that enough lefty Liberals will leave the ship if Dion is seen to be supporting the PM.