Rallies were held across Canada on Saturday by supporters of the conflicting parties of the Parliament, after Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government escaped an opposition plan to topple it.

Governor General Michaelle Jean approved Harper's request to prorogue the Parliament on Thursday, allowing the government to sidestep a non-confidence vote scheduled for Monday, which would lead to its downfall.

The three oppositions have agreed to form a Liberal-NDP coalition government, supported by Bloc Quebecois, to replace the Conservatives, which they say have lost the confidence of the Parliament.

Rallies were held on Saturday in major cities by supporters of both sides, with leaders of the Liberal and New Democratic Party ( NDP) slamming Harper for proroguing the Parliament in the biggest city Toronto, and thousands of others gathering in the capital Ottawa to speak against the coalition.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, who would be the prime minister if the Liberal-NDP coalition came into power, told the pro- coalition crowd at Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square that Canada is in urgent need of a plan to help the country's economy.

"We want to help our country to fight the economic crisis that is coming, and for that we need to pull together," he said.

He also said Prime Minister Harper had "wasted time on partisan games and locked the doors of Parliament."

NDP Leader Jack Layton followed Dion to address the crowd, saying that the prime minister had put "a padlock on Parliament Hill" and was "desperately clinging to power."

"By closing down Parliament, he has silenced your voice," Layton said. "He has turned his back on the economy and on the people who are being thrown out of work."

Canadians for Democracy, the organization behind 20 protests against the coalition, accuses the NDP and Liberals of getting into bed with separatists, and warns that the threat of a coalition taking power will resume once the Parliament returns on Jan. 26.

The Canadian Labor Congress (CLC), which supports the coalition, held rallies in Toronto, Montreal and Sudbury, Ontario.

A radio ad that appeared on the CLC website slammed Harper's inability to work with the opposition parties to devise solutions for the sluggish economy.

"During the election, Stephen Harper told us he would make a minority Parliament work and put our economy first. He has failed, " it says.

(Xinhua News Agency December 7, 2008)