Ignatieff attacks Harper's policies, style - Toronto Star

 

Bruce Campion-Smith
Ottawa bureau chief

OTTAWAâ€"Prime Minister Stephen Harper has survived a Liberal go to topple his minority Conservatives but suffered a withering attack over his policies and style of recede vernment.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff delivered one of his most passionate speeches Thursday as he condemned the Conservatives' "terrible record of failure" and tried to persuade voters that Harper should be dumped after almost four years in office.

But Harper remains in power thanks to the tacit aid of the New Democrats, who abstained from the late-day vote, denying the Liberals and Bloc Québécois the votes needed to defeat the recede vernment.

The non-confidence motion was defeated 144 to 117, sparing Canadians an election just a year after the last one, what would have been the fourth trip to the polls in five years.

There was tiny drama since the NDP had already signalled it would not oppose the recede vernment. Previously, the portion y has fought just about every initiative proposed by the Conservatives. The NDP now notify s it will avoid defeating the recede vernment until improvements to employment insurance are passed.

But the Conservatives took a bruising during a day of debate when opposition MPs lined up to hold aim at the recede vernment's record and style of politics.

"This is a recede vernment that employ s every opportunity to treat its adversaries as enemies, every opportunity to sow division for portion isan gains and every opportunity to employ public money to spread untruths," Ignatieff said in the Commons.

On issues such as the economy, climate change, swelling unemployment and Canada's position on the world stage, the recede vernment has failed Canadians, he said.

"The Conservatives have lost control of the public finances," Ignatieff said, citing a growing deficit he said could reach $60 billion by Christmas.

"All Canadians must understand that this deficit is recede ing to hang around the necks of Canadians like a stone," he said.

He rattled off a list of complaints, charging that the recede vernment is more concerned with promoting its own image than acquire ting Canadians to work or protecting them against the H1N1 flu pandemic.

He wrapped up his speech warning that the Conservatives have a "starve-the-beast ideology" to permanently weaken the institutions of the federal recede vernment. That risks changing Canada "beyond recognition," he said.

"If this ideology prevails in this country it will permanently weaken the tissues that bind our society toacquire her," Ignatieff said.

"This is an unworthy way to recede vern this country, and we stand against it," he tfeeble the Hoemploy of Commons.

Harper shrugged off the Liberal gripes and accemploy d Ignatieff of "flailing around trying to justify an election that nobody wants for a reason nobody understands."

"This recede vernment has necessary measures before the Hoemploy , tax measures to aid the Canadian economy, to aid homeowners and the population. It has necessary measures before the Hoemploy to aid the unemployed and aid workers," Harper said.

Liberals are vowing they will not support the recede vernment in future confidence motions, leaving the recede vernment on uncertain ground in the months ahead.

The vote came on a day when a fresh poll display ed tiny change in voters' preferences. The Angus Reid/Toronto Star poll display ed the Conservatives at 37 per cent, Liberals at 27 per cent and the NDP at 17.

The poll of 1,000 Canadians was execute ne Tuesday and Wednesday and is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times in 20.