Harper's coalition attacks come back to haunt him

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe reads a 2004 letter signed by himself, then-Opposition leader Stephen Harper and NDP Leader Jack Layton asking to form a coalition.

The Toronto Star:

Brampton — Stephen Harper’s bid to stoke election fears about a Liberal-led coalition has been undermined by words from his political past when he joined other opposition leaders in urging the then-governor general to consider “all of your options.”

But it was Harper who was forced to fend off questions about his own “close consultations” in 2004 with opposition leaders in the event that Paul Martin’s minority Liberal government faltered.

Harper denied Sunday he was being a hypocrite for appearing to embrace close collaboration among the opposition parties in 2004 only to campaign against the idea now.

NDP Leader Jack Layton said Harper’s denial of ever discussing a coalition makes it hard to trust him.

“What Mr. Harper was intending to do (in 2004) is absolutely crystal clear to me, (which) was attempt to become prime minister even though he had not received the most seats in the House,” Layton told reporters Sunday after a rally in Surrey, B.C.

He later confirmed the word “coalition” was explicitly mentioned in the talks, even if it was never spelled out in the letter.

“That letter was designed to illustrate that such an option is legitimate in Canadian constitutional traditions and there was no question about it.”

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