Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin on Thursday refused to "play politics" with the opposition parties which have stepped up pressure on the minority Liberal government to call an earlier election.

"I'm going to govern and I'll let the opposition play politics, " Martin told reporters on Thursday in Belleville.

The government had an ambitious agenda involving aboriginal issues,the environment and cutting down on wait times for medical procedures, he said, adding that he wanted to see that completed before asking voters to cast judgment.

Martin's comments came a day after Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party, announced plans to bring down the Liberals from power.

On Wednesday, Layton said his party would introduce a motion on Nov.24 that will call on Martin to dissolve the House of Commons in the first week of January and hold a February election.

The other opposition parties including the Conservative and Quebecois have welcomed Layton's move. However, his such a motion would not be legally binding as it is not a confidence motion on the government and the Liberals have already said they would not act on it.

All three opposition parties are scheduled to meet within a few days to discuss Layton's proposal. Both the Conservative and the Quebecois, which has been calling for Layton's action, have already made it clear that they were ready to see the Liberal government fall in the wake of a judicial report on the federal sponsorship scandal.

The report, first of the two, exonerated Martin of any responsibility but put most blame with the former Liberal government led by then prime minister Jean Chretien.

The prospect of a winter election emerged early this week when the NDP, which has been the sole group keeping the Martin government alive, withdrew its support following the Liberals refused to second its call for banning private health care in the country.

Martin has vowed to call an election within 30 days of the release of the final report on the sponsorship scandal, which is expected in early February next year.

Source: Xinhua