Dion fires up party for election fight

Last Updated: Sunday, December 2, 2007 | 11:12 PM ET

CBC News

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is advising party members to get ready for an election in the new year, telling them privately that a vote could be held as early as February.

In a speech marking his first anniversary as leader, Dion had fighting words for the minority Conservative government, and outlined the contrasting visions of his party and that of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"In the next election, there will be this narrow selfish Conservative idea of Canada, with Stephen Harper's hidden agenda toward the U.S. Republic and its ideology," Dion said. "And there will be a more generous, sincere vision of a richer, greener, freer Canada in the 21st century."

"There will be a collision between these two conceptions of our country," he added in his speech, which wrapped up a two-day meeting in Montreal with Liberal riding presidents from across the country.

Since the new parliamentary session began in October, Dion has avoided the kind of confrontation that would set the stage for an election.

He said he ordered his MPs to abstain on key confidence votes to avoid toppling the government and plunging the country into an election that Canadians don't want.

However, in an interview with the Canadian Press published Saturday, he suggested that in the new year, the Liberal caucus will stop propping up the minority Conservative government and will consider each vote on its own merit.

He said: "2008 will be another ball game. You cannot keep alive forever a government who wants to die."

Members of Parliament will take a month off for the holidays and return to work at the end of January.

The government plans to introduce another budget in early spring.