Liberal Election Plans Full Steam Ahead Despite Improving Economic Figures

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff isn’t taking his foot off the accelerator towards a federal election, despite more promising economic news Friday.

In fact, Ignatieff seemed even more determined to bring on a federal election this fall. He said Parliament has become unworkable due to the Conservative government’s my-way-or-the-highway approach. “Finally you think … take the highway,” Ignatieff told reporters in Vancouver.

His comments came on the same day figures were released saying the Canadian economy created more than 27,000 new jobs, which helped boost the Canadian dollar 1.38 cents to 92.02 cents US.

The Liberals say they won’t support the Conservatives any longer because the government has mismanaged the economy and failed to support the unemployed.

Ignatieff said the higher job figure hasn’t changed his opinion.

“I think the economy is still struggling,” he said. “A million and a half Canadians are looking for work, bankruptcies are up 50 per cent and we’re staggering along with a $50 billion deficit.”

He doesn’t question that the economy will recover.

“Canadians have put their shoulder to the wheel.”

But Ignatieff said the question will be who can lead Canada into the new economy, because Canadians are aware that many of the jobs lost in this downturn won’t be recovered.

The election, Ignatieff said, would be about a government that will lead the country into full economic recovery “’cause we can’t go back the way we came.”

He said he believes a Liberal government could accelerate the economic recovery and make it more effective.

“So we’re genuinely acting in the interest of all Canadians.”

The federal Liberal Party is also working at full speed with the belief an election is around the corner.

National party president Rocco Rossi said the party is “100 per cent” prepared for an election and has the funds to back it up.

“Between what we’ve raised and what we can borrow, we’ll have a fully funded campaign and are prepared to go toe-to-toe in the election,” Rossi said in a telephone interview.

He said the party is out of debt after last year’s election and raised $6 million in the first six months after Ignatieff took over the leadership.

“It’s the Ignatieff effect,” Rossi said of the financial support. “He became the leader and he is the key to that success.”

Rossi also said the party has more than doubled the number of members across the country to 100,000.

Ignatieff used his media availability Friday to denounce the federal government’s treatment of the provinces over the harmonized sales tax, or what he calls the “Harper sales tax.”

He said the government has pushed the HST across the country during a recession and then has distanced itself when opposition to the tax heats up.

“And we think that’s dishonest. They’re fully implicated in this decision and they should take responsibility for it.”

Ignatieff said Stephen Harper is pretending it’s a provincial matter for both British Columbia and Ontario, yet the federal government will be the collector of the tax.