Liberal Leader Stephane Dion rallied his troops Thursday, calling on his MPs to help convince Canadians that the new Conservative budget is bad for the country.
Dion spoke to supporters during a pep rally in Ottawa that had the sound and tone of a pre-election campaign meeting.
"The next two weeks will be crucial when we are back in our (ridings). We will have a lot to say to Canadians. I count on you to explain to Canadians why the Conservative budget is bad for our country," Dion said, speaking in French.
His speech came before MPs return to their ridings for a two-week Easter break, and seemed intended to prepare the groundwork for a Liberal election platform.
The Conservative budget was delivered last Monday, and passed this week with the support of the Bloc Quebecois.
"Never before has a Canadian government done so little with so much. This budget is unfair, this budget is shortsighted, this budget is dishonest and this budget is divisive," Dion said.
He said it increases the gap between the rich and the poor, ignores the environment and does nothing for Aboriginals, students and single working mothers.
The audience shouted "shame" when each of those areas were mentioned.
Dion suggested Prime Minister Stephen Harper is trying to force an election, but said the Liberals are ready to meet the challenge and to "offer a vision of success for the next generation."
"If the prime minister wants to force an election on Canadians, so be it, the Liberal party is ready," Dion said.
In an apparent attempt to answer recent doubts about his leadership abilities, Dion vowed: "I will fight this coming election whenever it may come and I will fight hard. Canadians will know who I am and they will know what I stand for."
CTV's Chief Political Correspondent Craig Oliver said the speech was vital for Dion.
"This was an important speech for Stephane Dion, not so much for the content as for the delivery and for his ability to go on the attack in a convincing way," Oliver told Â鶹´«Ã½net.
"This was his best performance since he became leader and it was crucially important because there have been growing doubts, even inside the Liberal party and indeed inside the caucus that he was addressing, about how well he could perform in the long course of a gruelling election campaign."
Oliver said Dion hit on topics that will likely be the main themes of an election campaign, such as the idea that the budget is unfair and mean-spirited, that the Conservatives are not serious about dealing with climate change, and that Harper intends to reduce the federal government's powers.
