Sunday at 9:00pm EDT

[Kip Powick]

Toronto — Prime Minister Paul Martin has agreed to sit down with NDP Leader Jack Layton in an effort to prop up the Liberal government in the face of a no-confidence vote that could come in a matter of weeks.

But Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said Sunday he's not concerned about any deal-cutting between the Liberals and New Democrats, saying he'll make his own decisions after consulting Canadians.

Speculation has been mounting that Mr. Martin and Mr. Layton could swing a deal to keep the government afloat until after the public inquiry into the sponsorship scandal reports at the end of the year.

Mr. Layton is offering to back the government as long as Mr. Martin scraps $4.6-billion in corporate tax cuts promised in the Liberal budget and the money directed at social programs.

Mr. Martin would not say Sunday if he's willing to meet that demand.

Speaking at Khalsa Day celebrations of the Sikh New Year, Mr. Layton said the issue is not one of supporting the scandal-ridden Liberals.

“We're not talking about propping anyone up, we're talking about delivering something for the people,” Mr. Layton said.

“It's about trying to get something positive done on social and environmental issues for Canadians.”

In Ottawa, Jamey Heath, a spokesman for Mr. Layton, confirmed that the two leaders had agreed to meet but would provide no details of where or when.

While Mr. Martin said holding an election now would prevent the truth about the sponsorship scandal from coming out, Mr. Harper blasted the Prime Minister for trying to delay the inevitable.

“What Mr. Martin wants now is to have a 10-month election (campaign) where he can fly around the country on a government jet at taxpayers' expense, and he can throw enough money all over the country to cover up the stench of corruption,” said Mr. Harper.

“That's not the kind of election campaign I think is fair or is in the country's interest.”

For his part, Mr. Martin portrayed himself as the champion of truth over ambition.

“When I decided to call the Gomery commission, I certainly knew that it could have a negative effect on my government and my own political prospects,” Mr. Martin said on CBC Radio's Cross-Country Checkup.

“I felt that truth was most important.”

Even with NDP support, the government's survival is uncertain.

The Liberals and NDP combined have 151 seats while the Conservatives and Bloc have 153. Two of three independents have said they will support the government, while the third is expected to back the opposition but may not be available to vote.

Mr. Harper dismissed as “demagoguery” concerns that the Conservatives might alienate many Canadians by becoming de facto allies of the separatist Bloc Québécois in defeating the government.

“The Liberals think that any way of fighting separatism, including outright corruption, is okay,” Mr. Harper told The Canadian Press.

“So if they now want to point at anybody who doesn't agree with them as in with the separatists, that just illustrates why they need to be removed from office.”

With election talk bubbling more furiously each day, Mr. Martin, Mr. Layton and Mr. Harper were all unofficially campaigning in Toronto on the weekend.

Addressing thousands of Khalsa Day celebrants outside City Hall, Mr. Martin praised the “great Sikh input to Canada,” while Mr. Harper noted his party was the only one to oppose same-sex marriage, a position many Sikhs share.

”The Sikh community has no greater friend . . . than the Conservative party,” he said, a message he repeated at a second similar event.

Although Mr. Martin was the first prime minister in decades to attend the festivities, some questioned the sincerity of the party leaders.

“No doubt there is a political motivation over here,” said Harjinder Brar.

In Edmonton Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan said the tax measures wouldn't kick in until 2008 so scrapping them wouldn't free up any money immediately.

Mr. Harper said even if the budget died with the Liberals, a new government would have plenty of time to make any necessary spending decisions.

He also said most people he's been talking to want the Liberals thrown out of office sooner rather than later.