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Characterizing Stephen Harper’s Conservatives as “flat-earthers,” Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals today dismissed Tory conspiracy theories that they are trying to cobble together a coalition government with socialists and separatists.
This, after Harper strategists had sharpened their pens Sunday, issuing a series of talking points after the Liberal Leader said in an interview that coalition governments are “legitimate.”
Conservatives immediately took this as confirmation of their assertions that Mr. Ignatieff, the NDP and Bloc are trying to overthrow their minority government.
“Today the Canadian Press quotes Michael Ignatieff as admitting that he would form a coalition government if given the opportunity following the next election,” says the missive, referring to the interview the Liberal Leader gave to a CP reporter. Mr. Ignatieff made similar remarks in Montreal on Sunday.
“This is exactly what we have been saying – and Liberals have been denying – for 18 months.”
The Tories say Mr. Ignatieff’s plan is “unacceptable.”
“It’s not acceptable to ignore the election result and install a party and leader rejected by the voters,” according to the talking points. “It’s not acceptable to give the NDP co-management of the economy.”
But the Liberals say the Tory spin is simply ridiculous:
“To say that coalitions are legitimate is like saying the earth is round,” a senior Ignatieff official said Monday morning. “It happens everywhere. Mr. Cameron (British Prime Minister David Cameron, who leads a coalition government) said so to Stephen last week.
“But to flat-earthers, stating the obvious is part of a conspiracy of some kind.”
The Ignatieff official says that their plan – “repeated many times” – is to form a Liberal government.
“So there you go. We’ll run to form a Liberal government. And we will work with everybody – Conservatives included – to make Parliament a place where respectful and meaningful debates happen, not the disgraceful Bairdesque circus Conservatives seem to love so much.”
He was referring to the performance by Transport Minister John Baird last week at the government-operations committee.
Mr. Baird showed up uninvited to testify on behalf of political staffers. The committee broke down into partisan yelling and bickering.
Meanwhile, as the Tory talking points were circulating, Mr. Harper appeared on British television Sunday, telling Sky News that the “losers” tried to take over government in 2008 and failed.
“There was an attempt after the last election for the losers to form a coalition and bring a separatist party in,” he told reporter Adam Boulton.
“Ultimately, I think public opinion is what actually prevented it.”
Mr. Harper gave the interview last week when he was in London plugging his G8 and G20 agenda to British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Coalitions are top of mind right now as there has been gridlock in the national opinion polls in Canada for weeks, showing that if an election were held tomorrow the result would be the same as it was in 2008.
