Parliament Hill
Prime Minister Stephen Harper responds to questions in the House of Commons as Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
Harper, Ignatieff reach deal to avert summer election.
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff ended their political brinkmanship Wednesday with a deal to avoid an election - at least until the fall. The centrepiece of the agreement is a six-member working group that will examine possible changes to Employment Insurance. Those changes include a Conservative proposal to extend EI coverage to the self-employed, and a Liberal push to make the eligibility threshold the same across the country. The group will have to report back to Parliament by Sept. 28. The minority Conservative government will also be compelled to produce another economic report card to the House of Commons that week. And Harper agreed to give the Liberals an opposition day motion within eight days of the start of the fall session of Parliament - a key opportunity to trigger an election. In exchange, Ignatieff will not vote against the government Friday when the supplementary budget estimates come up in the Commons. The N...
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