Proposed Liberal-NDP coalition is still strong: Duceppe

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe says the proposed coalition of the Liberals and New Democrats is just as solid as it was before the Governor General prorogued Parliament before the holidays in December.

The Bloc is not a part of the coalition but has said it would support it and the proposed strategies to weather the global economic crisis. "Most of those proposals came from the Bloc," Duceppe said before a caucus meeting in Montreal on Tuesday.

But it's not likely Prime Minister Stephen Harper will change his tone and fulfill the coalition's demands, Duceppe added. "I'd be very surprised if he's coming with changes that are meeting the targets we proposed, so nothing's changed yet," he said.

Duceppe believes interim Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff hasn't softened his tone on his party's demands regarding the Jan. 27 budget.

Several observers have suggested Ignatieff is lowering his expectations in anticipation of the federal budget and could end up supporting it. Ignatieff has said the Liberals would support a "modest" temporary deficit to stimulate the economy, but has refused to quantify "modest."

The interim Liberal leader met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Monday in Ottawa, but Duceppe dismissed speculation about Ignatieff warming up to the Conservatives' budget plans.

Ignatieff simply wants to see a budget with measures to boost the economy and help workers, and he will wait to see the document before deciding on his support, just as all opposition parties plan to do, Duceppe said. "Mr. Harper spoke about an emerging consensus — I don't know where he heard that," he added. "I haven't seen it."

"We'll see the facts, then we'll react."

Ignatieff has cautioned against proposed stimulation measures floated by the Conservatives, including widespread tax cuts and incurring a deficit as high as $40 billion.

The Bloc is also tentative about tax cuts, Duceppe said. Harper is "talking about tax cuts like it's a magic recipe," he said. "We have seen the application of this magic recipe in the last few years, with the results looking like an enormous deficit."

The priority should be job creation and preserving current employment, Duceppe said. "When you don't pay taxes, it's hard to pay less [taxes]."

The sovereigntist party is also ready for an election campaign if the government falls over the federal budget, Duceppe said, estimating popular support for Harper and the Conservatives has taken a nosedive in Quebec.

"I've rarely seen someone lose so much political capital this rapidly," he said.