Sigh. This is about par for the course at CP...

Prime minister calls for civility; Conservatives call for election campaign Michael Tutton Canadian Press HALIFAX (CP) - As Prime Minister Paul Martin issued a plea Monday for more civility in Canadian politics, the Opposition Conservatives leaked a series of attack ads that say the stench of Liberal corruption is so foul only an election will clear the air. The ads say Martin will do anything to hang on to power, but the prime minister said Canadians were fed up with the insults, and he called on Conservative Leader Stephen Harper to resume a respectful dialogue. "I think that anyone who watches question period would walk away shaking their heads," Martin told a news conference in Halifax after he took part in a signing ceremony that marked a new, $137-million child-care deal with Nova Scotia. "I believe it is turning Canadians off." Martin thanked the Conservatives for saying they would refrain from obstructing Parliament and respect the outcome of Thursday's budget vote, which could bring down the minority government and trigger a June election. But he said the tone of debate must change. The prime minister blamed the Conservatives for creating a sour mood in Ottawa by referring to the ruling Liberals as "monsters" and accusing the government of playing politics with the lives of Tory MPs suffering from cancer...

It goes on for many more paragraphs in this vein. And yet CTV still manages to outdo it, in a single graf:

The Liberals renewed calls for civility in the House of Commons after the prime minister urged the Conservatives to maintain a respectful dialogue and abstain from childish antics in Parliament...

So: they're not allowed to vote against the government ("let Judge Gomery do his work"), and they're not allowed to criticize the government ("PM calls for return to dignity"). And if they protest at this, they're "angry." What, pray, do we need an Opposition for? Oh, I know: to reassure everyone that if by some accident they are elected, they will keep every Liberal promise -- even the ones the Liberals were planning to break. BONUS: More hard-hitting journalism from Michael Tutton, the Jane Taber of his generation:

Childlike chaos reigns as prime minister signs latest day-care deal with N.S. MICHAEL TUTTON HALIFAX (CP) - As Prime Minister Paul Martin announced his fifth day-care deal with the provinces, glasses of water tumbled, a toddler swiped his seat and the chatter of children almost drowned him out. But the prime minister, away from the Ottawa pressure cooker, smiled, made impromptu jokes and appeared to revel in the unscripted chaos as he approved an agreement to deliver $137.3 million to improve child care in Nova Scotia. "Let me just say, standing as I am in puddle of water, the national child-care program is a great example of what government can do," he said during an upbeat, campaign-style speech that drew roars of laughter. His comments came after he spent the morning playing and chatting with pre-schoolers inside the day-care centre at Canadian Forces Base Halifax. Martin's jovial demeanour showed the prime minister remains a force to be reckoned with on the campaign trail, particularly when compared with the stiff and sometimes awkward style of his chief rival, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper. But Martin's mood darkened as he spoke of the possibility the day-care deal - a cornerstone of the Liberal budget - could be defeated later this week.