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Layton Hits Prince George

By 250 News

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 10:10 AM

NDP Candidate Lois Boone smiles, as party Leader Jack Layton shakes hands with those attending this morning's event in Prince George
Click on photo, or on video icon for clip of  Layton.
 
 
Prince George, B.C. – For the first time in 18 years, a federal political party leader has visited Prince George during a federal election campaign.
 
Jack Layton, leader of the Federal New Democrats, rolled into Prince George this morning to unveil another plank in his election platform. The visit makes Layton the first federal party leader to visit P.G. during an election campaign since Audrey McLaughlin (NDP leader) stopped here in 1993.
 
About 100 people were in attendance at Prince George-Peace River NDP candidate Lois Boone’s campaign office to  visit with Layton and to hear his speech.  His visit was carefully orchestrated  complete with tele-prompters to ensure his speech went without a hitch. 
 
Layton says , if he becomes leader, he will bring the provinces and territories together to “usher in a the next phase of Medicare”. The plan calls for 100,000 additional Canadian families to have access to basic home care, doubling the forgivable loan available under the existing Home Adaptations for Seniors Independence program from $3,500, to $7,000. He plans more money for long term care spaces.
 
These planks in the platform are expected to  cost $537 million dollars.
 
In a media scrum, Layton also  indicated that if he becomes Prime Minister,  and  if  B.C. voters  decide to toss the HST, he would "rip up the backroom Harper-Campbell HST deal"  and would let the province keep the $1.6 billon dollars it was given by Ottawa for signing on to the  HST.  He said British Columbians "shouldn't be punished because Gordon Campbell and Stephen Harper didn't tell  you the truth."
 
( click on photo at right for audio clip of Layton talking about the HST)
 
Layton  will be heading to  Cranbrook for an event later today.

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Posted on Wednesday, April 06, 2011 10:10 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Comment Posted by: Surefire on April 6 2011 1:56 PM
As it should be.
Comment Posted by: Surefire on April 6 2011 2:01 PM
The 1.6 billion should be absorbed by the fiberals as it's their baby.
Comment Posted by: PrinceGeorge on April 6 2011 3:08 PM
Layton is in the enviable position that he can promise anything he wants because he will never be Prime Minister.

It is also not a given that some of the money that has been received for the HST implementation has to be returned to Ottawa when the HST is defeated in the referendum.

It's all hypothetical, but it makes for a good scrum with the press!

The only way Layton would ever have a real say in anything would be if he had a cabinet post in a coalition of Liberals and NDP becoming a governing entity.

Until then it is wall flower status.

Comment Posted by: cougs78 on April 6 2011 3:31 PM
I wonder what color the sky is in his world.


























Comment Posted by: interceptor on April 6 2011 3:43 PM
"OK, press release that BC can keep the $1.6 billion - thank you"
"uh Mr Layton?"
"yes?"
"Alberta is on line two, Saskatchewan is on line three, Manitoba is on line four..."
Comment Posted by: univ on April 6 2011 5:48 PM
NDP has a good chance in BC to attract the voters, considering the mess provincial Liberals have created in BC. The federal liberal party is in trouble and it cannot gain a majority. NDP is also third party, and maybe the change of name from NDP to Liberal Democratic party can attract some more liberals to vote for them, especially in BC.

But the future will be in creation of a federal Liberal Democratic center left coalition by Liberals and NDP. Ignatieff was slow to realize this fact after the merger of right wing parties.
Comment Posted by: PrinceGeorge on April 6 2011 9:39 PM
That is why Harper from day one of the campaign has been trying to scare the whole country by demonizing the concept of a coalition in Canada, calling it illegal and undemocratic when in fact it would be completely legal and totally democratic!

He repeats this mantra several times every day, whenever he gets the opportunity.

If a center/left coalition emerges Harper knows that his goose is cooked.