By Randall Palmer
OTTAWA, May 25 (Reuters) - Canada's official opposition Liberal Party said on Monday it may try to topple the minority Conservative government in Parliament in the next month if it does not make it easier to collect jobless benefits.
Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff dismissed as a 'reannouncement' a C$500 million ($442 million) expansion of unemployment benefits unveiled by the government on Monday.
He will have an opportunity to move a motion expressing non-confidence in the government before Parliament adjourns for the summer on June 23, and told reporters that was a possibility.
'I can foresee it and I can foresee it in the near future, but I repeat the word 'foresee',' he said.
'We're not there yet. We've got plenty of time to work this out. We've got plenty of time for them to see sense and see the light.'
He and the other opposition party leaders were clearly hesitant to pledge definitively to try to force an election so soon after the Conservatives' reelection last October, and to have to campaign during the summer vacation.
The Conservative government holds only a minority of seats in the House of Commons and must rely on the support of at least one of the three opposition parties to stay in power.
Conversely, Ignatieff would need all three opposition parties to back any confidence motion for the motion to succeed.
Monday's government announcement, by Human Resources Minister Diane Finley, entailed new Employment Insurance (EI) spending to help laid-off workers with long tenure to upgrade their skills. It was flagged in the January budget.
The opposition parties have demanded the government allow workers across Canada to be eligible for Employment Insurance after working a standard 360 hours -- or 45 work days -- as the recession takes its toll.
Current rules require 420 to 700 hours of work to qualify, depending on the region of the country. The new government initiative did not alter that formula but would allow earlier access to EI benefits for workers using severance packages to invest in training.
'We don't need another election right now, but also the prime minister has been very clear that bringing in a 45-day work year is not going to help the economy one little bit,' Finley told a news conference afterward.
At first, the Conservatives had suggested they were open to the lower uniform standard, by saying they were listening to all proposals, but they have subsequently come out swinging against it.
Finley issued a lengthy statement on the weekend saying the proposal would require higher EI premiums to pay for it, and this would be disastrous during a recession.
Ignatieff agreed a higher payroll tax would be a job killer, but said the government could just take the money out of general revenues and increase the budget deficit.
The Conservatives have criticized this idea as violating the concept of the EI program as self-financing.
The Liberals currently lead in opinion polls -- a new survey on Monday showed them far ahead in Quebec, the second most populous province -- but their national lead is so slim that most analysts believe they would be reluctant to risk a fresh election in the next few months.
($1=$1.12 Canadian)
(Editing by Peter Galloway)
((randall.palmer@thomsonreuters.com; +1-613-235-6745; Reuters Messaging: randall.palmer.reuters.com@reuters.net) Keywords: CANADA POLITICS/
COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
OTTAWA, May 25 (Reuters) - Canada's official opposition Liberal Party said on Monday it may try to topple the minority Conservative government in Parliament in the next month if it does not make it easier to collect jobless benefits.
Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff dismissed as a 'reannouncement' a C$500 million ($442 million) expansion of unemployment benefits unveiled by the government on Monday.
He will have an opportunity to move a motion expressing non-confidence in the government before Parliament adjourns for the summer on June 23, and told reporters that was a possibility.
'I can foresee it and I can foresee it in the near future, but I repeat the word 'foresee',' he said.
'We're not there yet. We've got plenty of time to work this out. We've got plenty of time for them to see sense and see the light.'
He and the other opposition party leaders were clearly hesitant to pledge definitively to try to force an election so soon after the Conservatives' reelection last October, and to have to campaign during the summer vacation.
The Conservative government holds only a minority of seats in the House of Commons and must rely on the support of at least one of the three opposition parties to stay in power.
Conversely, Ignatieff would need all three opposition parties to back any confidence motion for the motion to succeed.
Monday's government announcement, by Human Resources Minister Diane Finley, entailed new Employment Insurance (EI) spending to help laid-off workers with long tenure to upgrade their skills. It was flagged in the January budget.
The opposition parties have demanded the government allow workers across Canada to be eligible for Employment Insurance after working a standard 360 hours -- or 45 work days -- as the recession takes its toll.
Current rules require 420 to 700 hours of work to qualify, depending on the region of the country. The new government initiative did not alter that formula but would allow earlier access to EI benefits for workers using severance packages to invest in training.
'We don't need another election right now, but also the prime minister has been very clear that bringing in a 45-day work year is not going to help the economy one little bit,' Finley told a news conference afterward.
At first, the Conservatives had suggested they were open to the lower uniform standard, by saying they were listening to all proposals, but they have subsequently come out swinging against it.
Finley issued a lengthy statement on the weekend saying the proposal would require higher EI premiums to pay for it, and this would be disastrous during a recession.
Ignatieff agreed a higher payroll tax would be a job killer, but said the government could just take the money out of general revenues and increase the budget deficit.
The Conservatives have criticized this idea as violating the concept of the EI program as self-financing.
The Liberals currently lead in opinion polls -- a new survey on Monday showed them far ahead in Quebec, the second most populous province -- but their national lead is so slim that most analysts believe they would be reluctant to risk a fresh election in the next few months.
($1=$1.12 Canadian)
(Editing by Peter Galloway)
((randall.palmer@thomsonreuters.com; +1-613-235-6745; Reuters Messaging: randall.palmer.reuters.com@reuters.net) Keywords: CANADA POLITICS/
COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.