This just in from the Conservative war room (here‘s the Globe account of the CBC interview that sparked it all):
April 19, 2011
For Immediate Release
Ignatieff Admits plan to become PM if he loses the election
After denying it for weeks, Michael Ignatieff today finally admitted he is open to trying to become Prime Minister with the support of the NDP and the Bloc Québécois, even if Stephen Harper’s Conservatives win the election on May 2.
During an interview with CBC’s Peter Mansbridge, Michael Ignatieff said:
“If Mr. Harper wins most seats and forms a government but does not have the confidence of the House and I’m assuming that Parliament comes back, then it goes to the Governor-General.”
“And if the Governor General wants to call on other parties or myself, for example to try and form a government, then we try and form a government.”
Later, Michael Ignatieff made it clear that he would work with the Bloc Québécois and the NDP to prop up his Government:
“I’m prepared to talk to Mr. Layton and/or Mr. Duceppe [UPDATE: this is a partial and misleading edit by the Conservatives of what Ignatieff actually said. Ignatieff originally mentioned Harper too. See copious comments below – pw] and say we have an issue and here’s the plan that I want to put before Parliament, you know, this is the budget I would bring in and then we take it from there.”
Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe have stated clearly they plan to reject Stephen Harper’s re-introduced budget. Doing so would clear the way for Michael Ignatieff to become Prime Minister with the support of Bloc Québécois and the NDP and pursue their high-tax-and-spend agenda.
Michael Ignatieff’s ambition to be Prime Minister trumps everything: our economic recovery, what‘s best for families, even how Canadians vote.
Today Michael Ignatieff made clear this is his agenda to become Prime Minister – even if he loses the election.
The choice on May 2 is now crystal clear:
A stable, national, Conservative government or an Ignatieff-led Coalition with the NDP and the Bloc Québécois.
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