Won't try to govern from 2nd place: Harper

[oneh2obabe]

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said he would not attempt to form a government if another party won the most seats in the election and his party came in second place.

In an exclusive interview with CBC’s Peter Mansbridge aired on Thursday afternoon, Harper said if Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff or NDP Leader Jack Layton won the election, but were unable to gain the confidence of the House, he would not attempt to try to take power.

“They will form the government,” Harper said.

”I think if the other guys win, they get a shot at government, and I don’t think you challenge that unless you’re prepared to go back to the people.”

Harper said he would reject an offer made by the Governor General to try to form a government

"So you’d say to the Governor General, 'No, I wouldn't do that?'" Mansbridge asked.

"Yeah, absolutely," he said, adding that people don't want another election.

On the campaign trail, Harper has repeatedly warned that if his party fails to win a majority government, the opposition would work out an arrangement to take power.

But when Mansbridge pressed Harper on whether they have that right according to parliamentary rules, Harper said that’s a question of debate for constitutional law.

"I do think most Canadians would still be very surprised if they elected a Conservative minority and found out they had some completely different kind of government. I think that would be a big shock to people," Harper said.

“My view is that the people of Canada expect the party that wins the election to govern the country. I think anything else the public would not buy.”

On Tuesday, Ignatieff told Mansbridge he would be willing to form a government according to parliamentary rules if Harper wins the most seats in the election but fails to win the confidence of the House of Commons.

"If the Governor General wants to call on other parties, or myself, for example, to try and form a government, then we try to form a government," Ignatieff said.

"That's exactly how the rules work, and what I'm trying to say to Canadians is, I understand the rules, I respect the rules, I will follow them to the letter and I'm not going to form a coalition. What I'm prepared to do is talk to Mr. Layton or Mr. Duceppe or even Mr. Harper and say, 'We have an issue, and here's the plan that I want to put before Parliament, this is the budget I would bring in,' and then we take it from there."

Harper again rejected accusations made by Layton and Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe that he was prepared to seize power through a coalition agreement after coming second to Paul Martin's Liberals in 2004.

Duceppe and Layton have said that the three leaders got together and drafted a letter to tell then Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson that Harper was prepared to form a government if Martin lost the confidence of the House of Commons.

But Harper denied that was the intention of the letter.

"The option that I was talking about is that we were trying to influence the government's agenda, and if we want to defeat the government, we have to get our own mandate. I never suggested otherwise."

Earlier Thursday, Harper said correspondence between one of his staff members and the ethics commissioner in 2009 regarding a possible conflict of interest involving Bruce Carson demonstrated that his office follows conflict-of-interest rules.

Conservative campaign officials released two letters from 2009 late Wednesday indicating Harper's then top aide, Guy Giorno, contacted ethics commissioner Mary Dawson about Carson, a former adviser to Harper who has since been accused of unrelated lobbying violations.

The letters alerted the commissioner to a possible conflict of interest, the steps the Prime Minister's Office had taken to address it and outlined additional steps taken to remove Carson from potential conflict in the pre-budget process.

"I think what the correspondence shows is my office ensures at all times that conflict-of-interest rules are enforced,” Harper said during a campaign stop in Conception Bay South, N.L.

“They were enforced in this case, the matter was satisfactorily resolved.”

Harper didn't provide an answer when asked what he knew about the 2009 correspondence with the ethics commissioner

The Prime Minister's Office called in the Mounties last month to investigate allegations Carson may have illegally lobbied the government in 2010 on behalf of a water-filter company employing his girlfriend.

Carson, who had previously been convicted of unrelated fraud charges, said that he would take a leave of absence from his post as executive director of the Calgary-based Canada School of Energy and Environment while the RCMP probe was underway.

The research and educational organization announced Thursday the appointment of Richard Hyndman as the interim executive director, effective immediately. Carson was not mentioned in the news release.

[UnknownResident]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/201 ... rview.html


The video is interesting, Harper is a fear-mongerer. The guys arm is probably pretty sore from patting himself on the back so much.

[Urbane]

They are all fear-mongerers. That's how the game works. Have you not heard Layton and Ignatieff talking about scary Harper and what would happen if he got a majority? Immediately he would outlaw abortion, bring back capital punishment (with no trials involved probably), eliminate EI, force everyone to go to church on Sunday . . . something like that anyway. Pretty scary. Seriously, I'm always amused when people see the tactics being used by the other guys but fail to see those same tactics being used with their guys.

[rmshort]

But when Mansbridge pressed Harper on whether they have that right according to parliamentary rules, Harper said that’s a question of debate for constitutional law.

Fact check, this is wrong.
Spun loud and proud but factually incorrect.
Just another blatant lie period.

[Urbane]

But when Mansbridge pressed Harper on whether they have that right according to parliamentary rules, Harper said that’s a question of debate for constitutional law.

Fact check, this is wrong.
Spun loud and proud but factually incorrect.
Just another blatant lie period.

Well, all the polls put Harper on top when it comes to the trust factor but Ignatieff looked at Harper in the English debate and said, "Canadians don't trust you." Is that being honest? Even if Canadians don't trust any of the leaders but simply find Harper the least distrustful Ignatieff's comment is "a lie," is it not? Also, Ignatieff has pretended (as Layton points out - or is he lying?) that he's against the corporate tax cuts but, as Layton points out, Ignatieff voted for them. On it goes . . . there are no perfect leaders and no perfect parties. They all lie, they all play games, they are all using attack ads. I hope the Conservatives get a majority this time but I do see the faults in Harper (and in the other leaders) and in the Conservatives (and in the other parties). In my humble opinion the policies of the other parties would not be good for Canada at this time and staying the course with the Conservatives would be better for Canada. To me that's what this election is about. It's not about little comments the leaders are making to serve their own purposes.

[UnknownResident]

They are all fear-mongerers. That's how the game works. Have you not heard Layton and Ignatieff talking about scary Harper and what would happen if he got a majority? Immediately he would outlaw abortion, bring back capital punishment (with no trials involved probably), eliminate EI, force everyone to go to church on Sunday . . . something like that anyway. Pretty scary. Seriously, I'm always amused when people see the tactics being used by the other guys but fail to see those same tactics being used with their guys.

I don't have "guy". I'm still an undecided voter, I don't like any of them. And I agree with you that fear-mongering is coming from all of them. But Harper is so obviously trying to get scare votes it's hilarious.

On a side note Mansbridge did very well with all the interviews, I lost the link with the Iggy one though, anyone care to post it? I would like to re-watch. I also think out of the Mansbridge interviews Layton did the best.

[The Green Barbarian]

They are all fear-mongerers. That's how the game works. Have you not heard Layton and Ignatieff talking about scary Harper and what would happen if he got a majority? Immediately he would outlaw abortion, bring back capital punishment (with no trials involved probably), eliminate EI, force everyone to go to church on Sunday . . . something like that anyway. Pretty scary. Seriously, I'm always amused when people see the tactics being used by the other guys but fail to see those same tactics being used with their guys.

I don't have "guy". I'm still an undecided voter, I don't like any of them. And I agree with you that fear-mongering is coming from all of them. But Harper is so obviously trying to get scare votes it's hilarious.

On a side note Mansbridge did very well with all the interviews, I lost the link with the Iggy one though, anyone care to post it? I would like to re-watch. I also think out of the Mansbridge interviews Layton did the best.

you really need to learn how to use google.

[sooperphreek]

problem is if he doesnt make gains in the election and he is asked to form a government again he will be proved to be a liar in that interview because he will. harpers need for being "the man" is to insatiable for his pride to swallow.