Another desperation move

I didn't think I could get any more shocked by Paul Martin's desperate moves to save his government, until I read this:

Prime Minister Paul Martin says corporate tax reductions are still possible, despite his budget deal with the NDP, but only if the Conservatives throw their support behind the move.

Martin's announcement, repeated Wednesday by his finance minister, paints Stephen Harper's Tories into a tight political corner - if they bring down the minority government, the Liberals can blame them for blocking billions in tax cuts.

"We have pulled the large corporate tax cuts out of this budget to be pursued in a separate piece of legislation," Martin told The Canadian Press in an interview Wednesday.

"And that separate piece of legislation we'll introduce as soon as the Conservatives or somebody say they will support it.

"The corporate tax cuts remain intact. It's going to be up to the Conservatives to tell us whether or not they will support them."

The government has consistently refused to table a separate piece of legislation to pass the Atlantic Accord, on the premise that there would be no time to pass every piece of legislation attached to the budget separately. Looks like they found some time - and some money.

I don't want to know what these guys are going to try next.

Posted by damian at April 27, 2005 08:17 PM | TrackBack