PM drops bombshell: Martin vows to eliminate federal notwithstanding clause Publication info: Kingston Whig - Standard ; Kingston, Ont. [Kingston, Ont]. 10 Jan 2006: 9 Front. ProQuest document link ABSTRACT (ABSTRACT) NDP Leader Jack Layton lashed out at both [Paul Martin] and [Stephen Harper], telling voters to reject "Liberal arrogance" and the "vote-buying promises of the Conservatives." The scare tactic worked in the last election campaign, erasing a Tory lead. But Harper isn't running the same fumbling campaign this time. His move to the centre and his climb in the polls has been boosted by a Liberal machine plagued by errors and an RCMP criminal investigation that appeared to pull the bottom out of Grit support. Photo: The Canadian Press / Liberal Leader Paul Martin listens to Conservative Leader Stephen Harper during the English leaders' debate last night in Montreal. Martin took direct aim at Harper during the debate, hoping to bolster his party's chance for re- election. FULL TEXT MONTREAL - Paul Martin painted a bull's-eye on Stephen Harper in last night's election debate and fired off a flurry of dire warnings that a Conservative government would eliminate tax cuts for the poor, slash social programs and threaten the Charter of Rights. The prime minister then dropped a constitutional bombshell, promising he'll introduce an amendment to remove Ottawa's right to use the notwithstanding clause. The clause, which has never been used by the federal government, gives the power to overrule court rulings on charter issues. "The first act of a new Liberal government is going to be to strengthen the charter," Martin said during the leaders' televised debate. "We're going to do that by removing, by constitutional means, the possibility for the federal government to use the notwithstanding clause because, quite simply, I think governance says that the courts shouldn't be overturned by politicians." Harper rejected Martin's plan, saying he thinks the charter, as written now, strikes a good balance. "And that's why I support the present construction." The sparring over the notwithstanding clause was among the most passionate exchanges in a debate that showed all four political leaders on edge and ready to do battle. They also locked horns over tax cuts, recent RCMP investigations into alleged Liberal wrongdoing and national unity. With the Tories holding a consistent lead in new polls, Martin appeared intent on flexing his muscle from the outset, and Harper was his target. The notwithstanding clause has been controversial from Day 1, and has never been used by federal government. Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau included it in the Constitution against what he said was his better judgment because it was the only way to get the provinces on side. NDP Leader Jack Layton lashed out at both Martin and Harper, telling voters to reject "Liberal arrogance" and the "vote-buying promises of the Conservatives." Martin suggested the Conservatives would undermine the charter on social issues and challenged Harper to match his pledge. The Tory leader ignored the challenge and aimed to rise above the fray. With polls looking ugly for the Liberals and campaign time running out, Martin is hoping to reverse the Tory tide by PDF GENERATED BY PROQUEST.COM Page 1 of 3 giving moderate voters second thoughts about Harper. He went after the Conservative leader on a range of fronts, accusing him of repeatedly bad-mouthing Canada in the U.S. and warning voters that the Tories are preparing cuts to national child care and other social programs. "What you need to ask yourself is 'What else would he cut?' He needs to tell us," the prime minister said, adding that Canadians have a choice between very different values and visions of Canada. It's a theme Martin has been hammering away at in recent days. But polls have lent a particular urgency to the warnings. A new survey suggested the Conservatives had vaulted to a nine-point lead over the Liberals with less than two weeks before the Jan. 23 vote. The scare tactic worked in the last election campaign, erasing a Tory lead. But Harper isn't running the same fumbling campaign this time. His move to the centre and his climb in the polls has been boosted by a Liberal machine plagued by errors and an RCMP criminal investigation that appeared to pull the bottom out of Grit support. Harper used his opening statement to call for change, saying that while Liberal party cronies have done well over the last 12 years, ordinary Canadians are worse off. "We need a government that will be on the side of the people who work hard, pay their taxes and play by the rules," he said. He also bristled at Martin questioning his ethics: "Mr. Martin should tell us: how many criminal investigations are going on in your government?" The Liberals are still smarting from a week in which major policy announcements were overshadowed by questions about RCMP investigations and party communications breakdowns. Illustration Photo: The Canadian Press / Liberal Leader Paul Martin listens to Conservative Leader Stephen Harper during the English leaders' debate last night in Montreal. Martin took direct aim at Harper during the debate, hoping to bolster his party's chance for re- election. DETAILS People: Martin, Paul; Harper, Stephen Publication title: Kingston Whig - Standard; Kingston, Ont. Pages: 9 Front Number of pages: 0 Publication year: 2006 Publication date: Jan 10, 2006 Dateline: MONTREAL Section: National / World Publisher: Postmedia Network Inc. Place of publication: Kingston, Ont. Country of publication: Canada, Kingston, Ont. PDF GENERATED BY PROQUEST.COM Page 2 of 3 Publication subject: General Interest Periodicals--Canada ISSN: 11974397 Source type: Newspaper Language of publication: English Document type: News ProQuest document ID: 352694590 Document URL: https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/pm-drops-bombshell-martin-vows- eliminate-federal/docview/352694590/se-2?accountid=5705 Copyright: (Copyright The Kingston Whig-Standard 2006) Last updated: 2012-02-10 Database: Canadian Newsstream LINKS Database copyright 2022 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions Contact ProQuest PDF GENERATED BY PROQUEST.COM Page 3 of 3
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