Prime minister blasts power play
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday condemned an opposition plan to gain power by ousting his government in a confidence vote, calling the effort undemocratic.
Harper, speaking in a televised address, vowed to use “every legal means” to stop the legislative move to unseat his minority Conservative government next week and replace it with an opposition-led coalition.
The embattled Conservative leader was responding to three parties that have united against his handling of the economy, saying he has failed to deal with the global meltdown.
A cabinet minister has suggested that Harper would ask Governor General Michaelle Jean to suspend Parliament until next month – giving him needed time to develop a stimulus package.
Opposition Liberal leader Stephane Dion said a suspension of Parliament would only delay the inevitable. Dion urged Jean in a letter Wednesday to reject Harper’s request, arguing it would prolong the crisis and exacerbate the country’s economic difficulties.
If the plan succeeds, it would be the first time that a Canadian government has been ousted in a confidence vote and replaced by an opposition coalition without an intervening election.
Panama City, Panama
Russian warship will use canal
Russia said Wednesday it is sending a warship through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II, a short journey loaded with symbolic weight: the destroyer will dock at a former U.S. naval base, showcasing Russia’s growing influence in the region.
Russia appears to be relishing the idea of stopping at what was long a symbol of U.S. global power; the Russian Navy announced it would visit “the Rodman naval base” – a name that the host nation, Panama has not used since taking over the base from the United States in 1999.
The destroyer Admiral Chabanenko is scheduled to enter the Panama Canal on Friday morning and arrive late in the day at what Panama calls the Balboa Naval Base.
“It is a sort of tit-for-tat for Russia’s perception of U.S. meddling in Georgia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe,” and has little military purpose, said Adam Isacson, an analyst for the Washington-based Center for International Policy.
Russia, like the United States, already has ports with access to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.