With four days before Canadians go to the polls, the leaders of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 three largest federal parties are arguing over how the country will be governed if there is no clear winner on election day.
Most polls continue to suggest the Liberals and Conservatives are deadlocked, raising talk about potential minority or coalition governments.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has said if he wins the most seats in MondayB次元官网网址檚 election, that would give him a mandate to govern.
He repeated that view during a question-and-answer session with reporters in the Toronto suburb of Brampton on Thursday, dismissing reminders that as a former Speaker of the House of Commons, he has familiarity with the rules that govern Parliament and say otherwise.
B次元官网网址淲e are asking Canadians for a strong Conservative majority mandate,B次元官网网址� Scheer said. B次元官网网址淚t is the case that the party that wins the most seats in modern Canadian history has been the party that forms the government.B次元官网网址�
Paul Martin did step down as prime minister after the Conservatives won more seats in 2006, allowing Stephen Harper to form his first minority government.
But CanadaB次元官网网址檚 parliamentary system allows for coalition governments, which means that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau could continue on as prime minister if there is a minority government and he can secure support from enough other MPs to win key votes.
Scheer on Thursday reiterated his past warnings that a Liberal-NDP coalition would prove too expensive for Canadians.
READ MORE:
Trudeau, meanwhile, repeatedly dismissed questions about a potential coalition or other arrangement in the House of Commons.
B次元官网网址淲e are focused on electing a strong Liberal government that is going to be able to continue the hard work of fighting against climate change and investing in families. The choice is very, very clear for Canadians,B次元官网网址� he said during a campaign stop in Trois-Rivieres, Que.
B次元官网网址淲e are going to elect a government with Liberal MPs from right across the country. We will continue the hard work of investing in Canadians.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淐oalitionB次元官网网址� is not a dirty word, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said during his own campaign event as he railed against CanadaB次元官网网址檚 electoral system, which gives the candidate with the most votes in each riding the victory.
Singh also criticized Trudeau for breaking his 2015 campaign promise that that election would be the last under the first-past-the-post system.
He said the system means that fewer than half of voters can choose a certain party, B次元官网网址渁nd they get all the power, and thatB次元官网网址檚 wrong.B次元官网网址� Singh said Canadians often feel their vote doesnB次元官网网址檛 matter, adding 60 per cent of Canadians B次元官网网址渞egularlyB次元官网网址� vote against the Conservatives.
B次元官网网址淪o itB次元官网网址檚 wrong for the Conservatives to think that with less than 40 per of the power B次元官网网址� or vote B次元官网网址� they deserve all the majority of power. ThatB次元官网网址檚 wrong,B次元官网网址� Singh said in Welland, Ont.
Singh said he is committed to a B次元官网网址渕ixed-member proportional representation to make sure everyoneB次元官网网址檚 vote counts.B次元官网网址�
Trudeau is focusing on Quebec. After appearing in hotly contested Trois-Rivieres, the Liberal leader is making several stops in the province as he heads west, back to Montreal.
Scheer is headed to the Maritimes for a rally in Pictou County, N.S.
Green Leader Elizabeth May is on Vancouver Island, making numerous stops along the highway from Campbell River to Ladysmith, where the Greens see their best chances to add to their two seats.
ELECTION 2019:
ELECTION 2019:
Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press
