OTTAWA - Incensed opposition parties are threatening to topple Stephen Harper's Conservative minority and have begun informally exploring the idea of cobbling together a governing coalition.
The Liberals are taking the prospect so seriously that some MPs are privately discussing ways to dump Leader Stephane Dion without waiting for their party's scheduled May 2 leadership vote.
Sources say NDP Leader Jack Layton has cancelled a Friday trip to Vancouver to take part in the opposition talks.
The machinations followed Thursday's release of the fall fiscal update.
The Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois said they can't support the plan because it offers no stimulus package to deal with the economic crisis.
It also contains a potentially lethal poison pill - a vow to scrap public subsidies for political parties that would financially cripple every party except the Tories.
