Dion set to plot strategy

OTTAWA—Liberal leader Stephane Dion and his top strategists reportedly will meet next week in Ottawa to devise a response to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s election dare.
The meeting comes just a few weeks before the national Liberal caucus is to gather in Winnipeg for its annual summer meeting.
The Globe and Mail said Dion has told his MPs he wants to hear what their constituents are saying about his carbon tax or “Green Shift” plan, which he plans to make the centrepiece of the Liberal election platform.
There are growing signs both Dion and Harper want a fall election.
Liberal MPs and top strategists say Dion wants to try to defeat the Harper government soon after the House of Commons returns to work on Sept. 15.
Last week, Harper challenged the Liberals to pass Conservative measures on crime, the economy, and the environment—or go to the polls.
“I think it’s [an election] inevitable this fall,” one senior Liberal MP told the Globe. “My sense is that for the first time in months, the Dion people and the campaign people are no longer coming up with a list of reasons why they need to buy time.
“It’s a pretty dramatic change.”
According to a Dion adviser, the Opposition leader is feeling pretty good about himself.
“I think he feels much more ready to go [to the polls],” said the adviser. “He is more confident and more focused. The ‘Green Shift’ has given him a sense of purpose and boldness.
“He is absolutely convinced he has a better plan for Canada than Harper does.”