^ Not really it appears this whole thing was planned out by the Liberals to embarrass the NDP and still get an election.
Liberals offer to speed EI bill
September 17, 2009
Joan Bryden
The Canadian Press
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/636871
OTTAWA —
The Liberals are trying to rush passage of Tory EI legislation, hoping to rob the NDP of its rationale for propping up the Harper government.
As of late today, there was no agreement among the parties to expedite the bill — worth up to $1 billion in extended employment insurance benefits for about 190,000 long-term workers.
Sources said the Bloc Québécois balked at a Conservative proposal to wrap up preliminary debate on the bill by Friday, allowing it to be examined by a Commons committee next week, even though the House will not be sitting.
However, Government House Leader Jay Hill said he remains hopeful that something may yet be worked out.
The behind-the-scenes manoeuvring was prompted by a Liberal proposal to whisk the bill through all stages of the legislative process in the House of Commons by Friday.
At the same time, Liberals in the Senate tabled a motion seeking to allow the upper house to begin its examination of the bill without waiting for the Commons to finish with it.
The twin ploys were intended to ensure the bill wins the approval of both Houses of Parliament before the first week of October. That’s when the Liberals intend to introduce a motion of non-confidence in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s minority Conservative government.
The move was designed to embarrass NDP Leader Jack Layton, who has said his party will prop up the government at least until the EI reforms are implemented.
“We don’t want to give Mr. Layton any alibis,” Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said early today.
Most bills take months to wend their way through the legislative process in both houses of Parliament.
Although Liberals believe the EI bill “falls radically short of serious employment insurance reform,” Ignatieff said they want to expedite its passage.
“We’re not going to hold it up. Let’s get it through and get to the motion of non-confidence which we will bring forward in due time.”
Layton said he too wants the bill passed quickly “so that the money gets to the unemployed.”
Still, he said it’s preferable for MPs to have time to examine the bill carefully and hear from expert witnesses to ensure it lives up to its advance billing.
“We’re not going to spell out a specific number of days here but I think that committees can do their work very quickly,” he said, adding that he has no objection to the committee sitting during next week’s parliamentary break.
Some critics, including labour unions usually allied with the NDP, have complained that only a tiny fraction of long-term workers will actually be eligible for extended benefits.
Layton said that’s the kind of thing that needs to be explored, adding “there’s no question that there’s some unemployed workers, lots of them, who are not going to be helped by this legislation.”
The NDP leader repeatedly refused to say whether his party would support the Liberal non-confidence motion if the EI bill is passed by then.
“That’s a very big if,” he said.
However, Layton hinted that the government will have to come up with other inducements if it wants continuing NDP support on confidence matters once the EI bill is passed.
“I have simply said to the prime minister that if he wants to lead in a minority parliament, he has to work with other parties. He’s got to reach out, he’s got to say, ‘Alright, I’m willing to work with you on your priorities,”’ he said.
“We’ve been pretty clear on what those priorities are. Unemployment was right at the top of the list . . . There are certainly other things that need work.”
Pension protection and consumer protection against bank fees are among the other priorities Layton has cited.
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This is another reason why Sweet won this riding. If Westdalers and Dundasians decide to vote Lib en masse in order to oust Sweet, he's toast.
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