Harper, Ignatieff, Layton, and Duceppe

Before anything else, check out the following piece of news:

NDP ads blast Ignatieff

So after the latest power-grab attempt by NDP leader Jack Layton has failed, the party is quick to blast their recently-divorced partner in the Liberal Party. Just because Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has decided that toppling the minority conservative government is not a good idea, his entire party is now the enemy of the NDP.

Astounding? Yes. Surprising? Not at all. Over the years, we have learned what Mr. Layton is all about – he is a passionate speaker who can woo you with his words, but throughout the years, he has demonstrated he is all about grabbing power in any way, shape, or form. Stephane Dion was equally desperate for power, and hence the two joined forces. I am not saying Ignatieff does not want power, but at least he is astute enough to understand that, in the face of an enormous economic crisis, the political warfare needs to halt. And for that, I applaud him.

Ignatieff’s demand of periodic financial update to the Conservatives’ stimulus package is a reasonable demand, and I am pleased to see that the Conservatives government is willing to accept that demand, as stated by Minister of Industry Tony Clement (right) on TV today (not that they had a choice, honestly). It may be wishful thinking on my part, but I hope Prime Minister Stephen Harper can find ways to work with Ignatieff and the Liberals to resuscitate our economy. If both parties are willing, we can certainly ignore the NDP and the Bloc…

Speaking of the Bloc, I must say the same criticism needs to be directed to its leader Gilles Duceppe. Both Duceppe and Layton went on record to say that they would not support the budget BEFORE the budget was released. Layton made fun of the budget when it first came out and said that Harper is turning into a NDP when the government promised funding to social housing. So the government is meeting some of your demands, and you still need to resort to childish bashing? And Duceppe would not even look at the budget before deciding that he and his party would not support it. Both leaders showed recklessness and a complete disregard to the welfare of Canadians in general. I’m utterly surprised that not more criticism has been directed to them.

So it looks like the minority conservative government will rule on for quite some time. Let’s hope politicians would truly put their selfish agenda aside, and work for those who put them in office… we can only hope.