New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton and Prime Minister Stephen Harper met last week to talk about the next federal budget.

According to a statement released after the meeting, Mr. Layton outlined the following proposals:

– He asked the government to commit to a policy of doubling the Canada Pension Plan, in order to address the inability of private plans to provide Canadians with retirement security. Arguably, this is one of the most important unaddressed issues facing Canada.

– He asked the government to commit to substantially enhancing the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors.

– He asked the government to commit to removing the HST from home heating.

– And he asked for a significant investment to address the shortage of medical personnel – doctors and nurses – in Canada’s health-care system.

Better pensions; less poverty; better affordability; better health care – core New Democrat values and priorities.

Mr. Layton also apparently reserved the right to assess the whole budget package. In other words, to consider what else the government proposes before taking a final position on the next budget.

Liberals immediately filled the Internet with brays that Mr. Layton had failed to put the Liberal Party’s latest agenda before Mr. Harper.

They’re a funny bunch, these Liberals. Why would they expect the NDP Leader to present a different party’s agenda in a budget conversation, instead of his own? They still feel entitled to their entitlements, seems like.

The Globe cheekily headlined on Saturday that Mr. Layton had taken Liberal-Tory corporate tax cuts “off the table.” Mr. Layton said on television Sunday that he discussed his opposition to the Martin/Harper/Ignatieff corporate tax cuts (begun under Prime Minister Martin, continued by Mr. Harper with Mr. Ignatieff’s support) for the first fifteen minutes of his meeting with Mr. Harper.

So will there be a federal election this spring? I’m not changing my own bet yet. But as was true before the meeting between Mr. Layton and Mr. Harper and remains true after it, the decision rests with the Prime Minister and only with him.

Mr. Layton has honorably fulfilled his responsibilities to the people of Canada by spelling out a prudent, reasonable and realistic set of proposals – proposals that Mr. Harper could reasonably be asked to accept. The ball is now in Mr. Harper’s court.

SO THE, BEV ODA…

Ms. Oda has been on the receiving end of a great deal of uncharitable humour lately.

It Oda be said, somewhere, that she was a highly accomplished and well-respected senior broadcast executive before entering public life. And that she remains a smart, effective and well-spoken woman – the kind we need more of in Parliament.

Possibly Ms. Oda is not a natural in politics. But she is not dumb – unlike whoever it was who doctored that CIDA memorandum, after it was determined that KAIROS, a faith-based organization, had to be made to pay for its do-good and be-good advocacy on issues in the Middle East.

It would seem the Harper government only likes faith-based organizations when they are of the right-wing reactionary American variety, not the more typical, slightly woolly, good-hearted, sincere, lets-all-get along Canadian sort.

Given Ms. Oda’s impressive background and real qualities, her first round of testimony on this matter was more credible than her second. Notwithstanding her belated fess-up, I doubt she doctored that memo. In changing her story and claiming that she did, I speculate, she is taking the fall for someone else.

Someone dumb. Someone who is cavalier about the integrity of public servants. Someone who has a notably loose relationship with the truth. Someone in a position to give orders to ministers – orders in contempt of Parliament – even at the price of their credibility and (possibly) their careers.

Who could that be?

Somewhere along the line, we’re going to find out and that person will be held to account. No matter how hard this government tries to turtle behind banalities, hoping as they always do that this, too, shall pass.