Gilles Duceppe says his party's coalition with the Liberals and New Democrats is just as robust as it was before the Governor-General prorogued Parliament last month.
The Bloc Québécois Leader said Tuesday he doesn't expect Prime Minister Stephen Harper to change his tone and meet the coalition's demands in next week's federal budget.
“I'd be very surprised if he's coming with changes that are meeting the targets we proposed, so nothing's changed yet,” Mr. Duceppe said before sitting down for a Bloc caucus meeting in Montreal.
He said the coalition, formed last month, has presented the best strategies to guide the country through the economic crisis.
“And most of those proposals came from the Bloc,” Mr. Duceppe said.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has remained lukewarm about the idea of forming a coalition, which was initiated by his predecessor, Stéphane Dion.
Mr. Ignatieff has said the Liberals would support a “modest” temporary deficit to stimulate the economy, but has refused to specify exactly what “modest” means.
The Prime Minister, who met with Mr. Ignatieff on Monday, appeared to include the Liberals in his definition of an emerging compromise on the budget, which is needed to keep his minority government alive.
Mr. Duceppe, however, said he doesn't believe murmurs in the press that suggest Mr. Ignatieff has cozied up to the Conservatives.
“Mr. Harper spoke about an emerging consensus — I don't know where he heard that,” he said. “I haven't seen it.”
The coalition agreement is still intact but the opposition parties won't take their positions until the government presents its budget, the sovereigntist leader said. “We'll see the facts, then we'll react.”
Mr. Ignatieff has warned against the perils of some of the stimulative measures expected in next Tuesday's budget, including broad-based tax cuts and a $40-billion deficit — a figure projected by officials close to the prime minister.
Still, he has left the door open for the Liberals to support the budget and avoid defeating the government.
Mr. Duceppe, meanwhile, also cast doubt on the idea of wide-ranging tax cuts.
“He's talking about tax cuts like it's a magic recipe,” he said of the Prime Minister. “We have seen the application of this magic recipe in the last few years with the results looking like an enormous deficit.”
The Bloc Leader said the government must create — and preserve — jobs to help the poorest Canadians. “When you don't pay taxes it's hard to pay less [taxes].”
Mr. Duceppe, who recently completed his annual, post-holiday tour of Quebec, said support for Mr. Harper and his Conservatives has plummeted in the province since last January.
“I've rarely seen someone lose so much political capital this rapidly,” said Mr. Duceppe, who noted that the Bloc is ready for an election campaign if the government falls over the budget.
