Harper to visit GG Thursday morning…………
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make a highly anticipated visit to the Governor General on Thursday, a day after promising Canadians in a televised address that he will use any means in his power to prevent a coalition government.
In a five-minute, pre-recorded statement Wednesday night, Harper spoke bluntly against a proposed Liberal-NDP coalition backed by “separatists,” saying the federal government must stand unequivocally for keeping the country together in the face of the global economic crisis.
His criticism drew quick reactions from opposition leaders, who called on the Conservatives to accept a coalition government as the will of Parliament.
“The opposition is attempting to impose this deal without your say, without your consent, and without your vote,” Harper said.
“This is no time for backroom deals with the separatists. It is a time for Canada’s government to focus on the economy and specifically, measures for the upcoming budget.”
Harper will visit Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean at 9:30 a.m. ET, the Prime Minister’s Office announced shortly after Harper’s address.
It is widely believed Harper, who pledged Wednesday night to use “every legal means at our disposal to protect our democracy, to protect our economy and to protect Canada,” will ask Jean to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament.
Harper has accused Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, who would head the proposed coalition, of working to weaken Canada by signing a pact with the Bloc Québécois to bring down the Conservatives. The Bloc is not an official member of the coalition but has agreed to support it for 18 months, should it take power.
source CBC.CA
