Western premiers blast possible federal coalition
Posted Apr 21, 2011 7:42 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Two western premiers are slamming the idea of a federal opposition coalition.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says he could join up with the NDP and Bloc Quebecois to become prime minister, even if his party doesn’t garner the most votes.
Alberta’s Ed Stelmach and Saskatchewan’s Brad Wall say a coalition could spell trouble for the west.
Stelmach says it would hurt Alberta’s energy sector and its ability to make money.
He says he’s worried about “disparaging” remarks made by certain leaders, like those of the NDP’s Jack Layton, who says he’d create a cap-and-trade emission reduction program.
That move could threaten billions of dollars in oilsands revenue.
Wall says he wants to see a Conservative majority government, or at least see the party with the most votes get the chance to govern.
“If for example, it’s the Conservatives and they re-introduce the budget, which ostensively they have campaigned on, and others have campaigned against, that budget should pass, because people will have voted in the system we have,” he says.
Wall adds although he understands it’s perfectly constitutional for the opposition parties to form a government, he doesn’t want to see it happen.
