What can you get to prop up a government?

OTTAWA – After long hours at the negotiating table, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff walked away with nothing of substance in exchange for his continued support of the Harper government and its failed policies.

“When I sat down with Paul Martin in 2005 and avoided an election by negotiating a new budget, I delivered for Canadians,” said New Democrat leader Jack Layton. “New Democrats got $4.6 billion in new investments in housing, education and transit. Today, Michael Ignatieff got a working group in exchange for his ongoing support of Stephen Harper.”

In 2005, New Democrats turned corporate tax breaks of $4.6 billion into $1.6 billion for affordable housing, $1.5 billion for post-secondary education, $900 million for transit, $500 million for foreign aid and $100 million for pension protection.

In 2009, Michael Ignatieff could only manage a “blue ribbon panel” on Employment Insurance with limited scope that won’t report until September.

“This working-group talk-fest is cold comfort to the 1.5 million unemployed Canadians dealing with a deeply flawed EI system. Ignatieff did nothing to fix EI, nothing to create jobs, nothing to stimulate the economy.”

“How did the Official Opposition fail Canadians so badly? Did Michael Ignatieff get steamrolled or does he just agree with Harper’s policies? ”