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norman spector

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff speaks to delegates at the party's conference, Canada at 150, in Montreal on March 26, 2010.SHAUN BEST

In the wake of the formation of a Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition government in Britain, we read behind Le Devoir's firewall the reaction of three gentlemen who played key roles in our own near-crisis of 2008.

Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe - who, in 2008, agreed to lend support for 18 months to the Liberal-NDP coalition - says that British MPs are "acting responsibly, unlike Mr. Harper or Mr. Ignatieff." It appears that he was not asked about the 5-year term of the UK coalition agreement.

NDP leader Jack Layton observed that "Britons seem to be supporting the idea that the parties must work together in the public interest. That's something we believe in." He added that his party has "always said that it is prepared to work with the other parties. But the problem has been to find a dance partner."

His principal advice to David Cameron is "not to follow Stephen Harper's approach." However, it appears that Mr. Layton was not asked about the role of Labour - the NDP's sister party in the Socialist International - which is now in opposition after its own attempt to forge a "coalition of the losers" fell through. A coalition that would have been led for a time by a defeated prime minister who had announced his resignation, and that would have been dependent on the support of the Scottish Nationalist Party.

Michael Ignatieff - who, reporter Guillaume Bourgault-Côté reminds us - viewed the 2008 coalition as "illegitimate"- refused to comment on how the British experience has changed the situation in Canada. "I'm not getting into that discussion. I'm prepared to work with the other parties, as I've said. But the situation in Canada in 2008 was very different from that of Britain in 2010. That's all I'm going to say."

It appears that Mr. Ignatieff was not asked about the situation that may prevail after the next federal election, about his future plans or about what he might say on the issue during the next election campaign. As to Prime Minister Stephen Harper - who successfully fought off the coalition of 2008, as he likely will remind voters in the next election campaign - it appears that he was not available for comment.

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