Liberal leader assails prime minister in Toronto visit

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Federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper of "panicking" and going back on his word to live by a fixed election date in the fall of 2009 Tuesday.

"It's so ridiculous," Dion told reporters at the Royal York Hotel Tuesday afternoon. "He wants a face saving. He knows he's breaking his word about the fixed election date law."

Dion was responding to comments earlier on Aug. 26 from Harper, in which the Prime Minister reiterated his claim that Parliament has become effectively dysfunctional, and said that it was impossible to arrange so much as a phone call between the three party leaders to discuss ways to manage an agenda in the fall session, scheduled to start Sept. 15. And he said that the programs of the parties were so radically different it might not be possible to find common ground.

He also said legislation setting a fixed election date in October 2009 didn't apply in a minority government such as the one over which he currently presides.

Dion scoffed at Harper's comments, and accused the Conservative leader of simply attempting to mask looming deficiencies in his current government by sending Canadians to the polls early.

"Some days ago he said he needs to go to an election because the Parliament is dysfunctional - everybody says the Parliament doesn't work. Now he's saying its because we have too radically different visions of this country - the radical conservative position of his government and the progressive vision of the Liberals. We all know it's the case. The Prime Minister is panicking and inventing reasons to try to trigger an election, and he's breaking his word because he has a fixed election date law to respect."

However, Dion insisted the federal Liberals are ready to campaign if Harper does pull the plug.

"We are planning an election for the last year," he said. "We know it may happen any time."