News

Stéphane Dion says his caucus remains firmly committed to forming a coalition government with the NDP, but is leaving open the possibility of keeping the Harper government alive.

The Liberal Leader also said he retains strong support, despite public and private criticism over what was seen as an amateurish presentation on national television Wednesday night.

"Embarrassment, indignation, I'm the most angry of everyone," Mr. Dion said, describing reaction to his video response to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's address, which was delivered out of focus and too late for some stations to air.

"What happened there was unacceptable," he said. "It's something that I decided to have an inquiry about it to identify what was missing in terms of professionalism."

He added: "Many people told me I was great on radio."

Other Liberals MPs echoed Mr. Dion's desire to keep the coalition alive, while at the same time leaving the door open to allowing the government to survive if the coalition's ideas are reflected in the 2009 budget.

They also said they will be meeting again next week to put the finishing touches on plans to counter the Conservative "propaganda war" with advertisements of their own. The caucus is also working on a series of announcements that will be made jointly with the New Democratic Party.

"The mistrust that the caucus has toward the leadership of Stephen Harper is so monumental that he will have to change almost his DNA to build anything that will convince this caucus to work with him," Mr. Dion said.

"The support of the caucus for the coalition is striking, very striking. We will work very hard with our NDP colleagues, in consultation with our Bloc colleagues, to keep this option for Canadians."

Toronto MP Martha Hall Findlay told reporters her party will be offering budget suggestions to Mr. Harper - while at the same time preparing to govern.

"What's left to us now is to provide as many suggestions on what we think we would insist on seeing on a budget, and we'll see what happens," she said. "I would find it hard to imagine the coalition making recommendations to the government that wouldn't also be part of what we would do if we were in government."

While maverick MP Jim Karygiannis ruffled feathers by calling for Mr. Dion's head Thursday, leadership frontrunners Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff dismissed the MP's remarks and vowed to continue the Liberal leadership campaign under Mr. Dion's interim stewardship.

Mr. Rae criticized the press for describing Mr. Harper's prorogation in strategic terms, rather than as an anti-democratic move worthy of the developing world.

"He's turned his government into a regime," Mr. Rae said of the Prime Minister. "I have friends calling me from other countries saying 'Oh, don't worry. We've seen this happen in Third World countries before.' … But in Canada?"

Mr. Rae said his party will be working with its coalition partners to produce a detailed plan for measures to assist the economy.

His main leadership rival, Mr. Ignatieff, said the caucus is "entirely united" in their opposition to the Harper government.

"On the 26th of January and in the period leading up to it, we will think responsibly and thoughtfully about the challenges we face," Mr. Ignatieff said.

However, Mr. Ignatieff seemed less enthusiastic than Mr. Rae about following through with overthrowing the government. Instead, his characterization of the coalition sounded more like a tactic for wringing a policy change from the minority Conservative government.

"It's the only tool that's got us anywhere," he said of the coalition proposal, which he described as "a weapon of dissuasion."

"I want to make it clear that this caucus is as one in maintaining the credibility of that dissuasive instrument," he said. "We will maintain the possibility of reaching out, but you cannot get this government to listen and respond unless the government is perfectly certain of the unity of purpose of this caucus."