Stephen Harper

[Government of Canada, December 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, as part of the culmination of the machinations of the leader of the NDP, we had those three parties together forming this agreement, signing a document and they would not even have the Canadian flag behind them. They had to be photographed without it.

They had to be photographed without it because a member of their coalition does not even believe in the country. As Prime Minister, it is not my responsibility to turn the keys of power over to a group like that. It is up to the Canadian people.

[Government of Canada, December 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the three opposition parties told voters that they had no plan to form a coalition. That was their commitment, their promise to the Canadian people.

That is what they told the Canadian people. Instead of being willing to co-operate, the leader of the NDP has admitted that from the beginning of this Parliament his sole objective was to form a coalition with the separatists. That is not what federalists, Conservatives, Liberals and NDPers across the country, voted for.

[Government of Canada, December 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Parti Québécois said today, “It is clear that this country is not working. The only solution is to separate, to opt for sovereignty.”

The applause from the Bloc shows why this country needs a government that supports Canada, the best country in the world.

[Prime Minister of Canada, December 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, not a single member of the House, not even a member of the Bloc, received a mandate to have a government in which the separatists would be part of the coalition.

If the Leader of the Opposition thinks he has support for this, he should have the confidence to take this to the people of Canada who will reject it.

[Prime Minister of Canada, December 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, as I have just said, if one wants to be Prime Minister one gets one's mandate from the Canadian people and not from Quebec separatists.

From Macdonald and Laurier to Diefenbaker and Trudeau, Liberals and Conservatives have often disagreed but there is one thing we should never disagree on and the leader of the Liberal Party is betraying the best interests in the best traditions of his own party if he thinks he can make a deal to govern.

[Prime Minister of Canada, December 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the highest principle of Canadian democracy is that if one wants to be prime minister one gets one's mandate from the Canadian people and not from Quebec separatists.

The deal that the leader of the Liberal Party has made with the separatists is a betrayal of the voters of this country, a betrayal of the best interests of our economy and a betrayal of the best interests of our country, and we will fight it with every means that we have.

[The Economy, December 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of NDP should ask himself, and I am sure all Canadians will really ask themselves, whether he believes that, overturning the results of an election a few weeks later in order to form a coalition nobody voted for and everybody denied, and to have a coalition like that which can govern only with the veto of the people who want to break up this country, is in the interests of this country?

[The Economy, December 1st, 2008]

Once again, Mr. Speaker, how can anybody believe a leader who has admitted that he had this in mind all along, who did not even given ideas to the Minister of Finance for the economic update, let alone waiting for the earliest budget in Canadian history?

Everybody knows that the leader of the NDP is on record that this was his goal all along. I just wish he would have the integrity to take that position to the Canadian people.

[The Economy, December 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I have already mentioned a number of measures that the Minister of Finance introduced last week.

When we are talking about why people should have confidence, why should anybody have confidence in the leader of a party who would agree to fold his own party into another party, and to deal with the separatists in order to get the power the voters denied him at the ballot box?

[The Economy, December 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, at that time, we had an agreement on an amendment to the Speech from the Throne. This is not an amendment of confidence. This party will never consider a coalition with the Bloc Québécois.

It is astounding to see the party once led by Laurier and Trudeau applauding the leader of the Bloc.