Quote:
Layton only stepped in with his offer to support the government in exchange for his proposed amendments to the budget after Harper flip-flopped and said the Conservatives were now going to oppose it. Bill C-48 would never have existed were it not for Harper changing his mind and deciding to vote against C-43.
So if Harper isn't happy that C-48 passed, he only has himself to blame. His failed attempt at political opportunism is what led to the Liberal-NDP coalition.
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This is the point I was trying to make - hopefully it came across. What did Harper expect to happen when he announced he would oppose the budget - that Martin would say "ok, I guess it's time for me to announce the election". Harper aligned with the Bloc, forcing the Liberals to either side with the NDP or call an election. Only an idiot could fail to see which way Martin would go, ergo thank Harper for this budget. He could easily have said "I'm willing to wait on Gomery if you include these amendments to the budget" and given Martin a second option (better yet if he did it before Layton put his offer on the table). If he goes down this road, he looks more moderate working with the Liberals, doesn't provide election fodder working with the Bloc, and goes a long way toward establishing a moderate image with voters. Big fail on all counts with what he actually did.