OTTAWA (Reuters) – The leader of the Liberals, a party reduced to also-ran status in the May federal election, on Tuesday rebuffed the idea of an alliance with their left-of-center rivals, even as a former party leader touted a merger as the only way the left would win back power.
Asked about working with the New Democrats, Liberal leader Bob Rae said Liberals needed to focus on rebuilding into a strong fighting force that occupied the center and would be able to grow the economic pie.
“The problem I have with NDP polices is quite clear,” Rae, himself a former New Democratic premier of Ontario. “They always take the pie for granted.”
NDP policies are mostly to the left of the Liberals in terms of tax rates and social spending, and both are to the left of the small-government, low-tax Conservatives.
All three parties promise balanced budgets, although their paths to that goal differ
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