Michael Ignatieff's interview with Canada AM
Newsnet

>> Bev: The prime minister and liberal leader both say they don't want to send canadians to the polls this summer. But unless an agreement can be reached soon, it may be unavoidable. Michael ignatieff is threatening to defeat the government this friday. Unless stephen harper agrees to major employment insurance changes. Stephen harper has called the proposed plan irresponsible. The two leaders will meet today to try twork out a deal, but before he speaks to the prime minter liberal leader michael ignatieff joins us from ottawa this morning. Good morning to you.
>> Good morning.
>> Bev: It would seem that everybody is in agreement on not wanting an election. What's it going to take in the meeting today? What do you need to hear from the prime minister so that you'll vote in favour of the spending on friday?
>> Michael Ignatieff: Well, i can't vote large amounts of money -- taxpayers' dollars unless I get a few answers to a few simple questions. How high is this deficit going to go, what are you going to do to dig us out, some questions about how much you've already spent. These are simple questions, you can't ask me to vote for another sum of money unless I've got a clear account of what you've done before. And then the key issue as you raised is making employment insurance fairer and more equal for canadians across the country. 'Ve been campaigning for this, I need to see very substantial movement on that. A commitment on that. The prime minister is putting another thing in play ich is helping the self-employed, that's a complicated question. I want to hear in much more specific detail what he's got in mind. But just so people understand what's going on, the prime minister doesn't have the confidence of the house of commons. He has to work with other opposition leads like myself. We're doing the business of canadians, making the system work for canadians and I'm optimistic today that we can makeome progress. But I will have to see what happens in the meeting.
>> Bev: To make parliament work, as you've been talking about and do what canadians need wouldn't it be -- wouldn't it work better to vote in favour of it so that the spending continues?
>> Michael Ignatieff: Well, i think the prime minister is to be blunt not telling canadians the whole truth about this. There are stories out there this morning which confirm that in fact we voted in march something like $22 billion worth of expenditure, and 21 of it can go out. Even if we had an election, the money voted in march will continue to flow.
>> Bev: How does that happen? If the government falls there's no budget, so there's no authorization to continue that spending.
>> Michael Ignatieff: No, expenditure can flow during an election period. Believe me.
>> Bev: With a governors general warrant.
>> Michael Ignatieff: It can do so, yes, that. The position is we're not -- canadians have this idea that all the money stops flowing kind of fromay one of an election. Not true. Not so.
>> Bev: Oka so then if it did continue, if we were in an electric campaign and a warrant was received so the spending could continue, then you're still talking about the original stimulus plan with one would assume similar numbers.
>> Michael Ignatieff: Well, if we got into government, we would be a different government and we'd have some different priorities. Some of the stimulushat we voted in march would of course continue because we voted for it before. But we might make some significant reallocations. We don't want to push the deficit up but we might make some very different decisions. I feel that this stuff isn't structured closely enough to key priorities that make us more competitive and more productive for tomorrow. And so we might reallocate. Not increase the amount of the deficit, but reallocate it. So those are the choices. But we're not there yet. Those are the choices we would present to canadians in an election, and they'd have a clear sense of alternatives at that time.
>> Bev: But you're optimistic going into the meeting today?
>> Michael Ignatieff: I'm alwa optimistic, I want to make parliament work. I take the prime minister at his word, he doesn't want an election. I'd like to avoid an election if we can. We're trying to do this to show to canadians that their system of government can work.
>> Bev: Michael ignatieff, thank for your time.
>> Mhael Ignieff: Thanks so much.

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