NDP Leader Jack Layton has made his strongest statement yet that he is prepared to help topple the Liberal minority government.

"We are very clear,'' Layton told reporters in Vancouver on Tuesday.

"If there's non-confidence motions before the House (of Commons) we'll be voting against confidence.

"We don't believe the government deserves our confidence any longer.''

Layton also said his party would be prepared to vote against the Liberals' supplementary budget estimates on Dec. 8.

The remarks came after an earlier speech in which Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said he has no intention to put forward a no-confidence motion that could topple the minority Liberal government.

Such a move would just play into the hands of Layton's NDP, he said.

In a speech to the Canadian and Empire Clubs of Toronto on Tuesday, Harper said he was worried that Layton would use a Conservative non-confidence motion as leverage to gain more concessions from the Liberals -- something the NDP has done in the past.

"I have no intention of allowing a Conservative motion to be a bargaining chip in a parliamentary poker game," said Harper from the same stage where Layton declared Monday that he won't prop up the Liberal minority government any longer.

But in a following move, Harper reiterated that if Layton is serious about bringing down the Liberals, he can count on Conservative support.

In reaction to Layton's remarks, Conservative spokesman William Stairs told The Canadian Press on Tuesday evening: "We are looking for a concrete sign that Mr. Layton is ready to defeat this government. So far all we've had is rhetoric.''

Layton's caucus will hold a teleconference Wednesday to plot its next move, which could include using its opposition day to table a non-confidence motion -- something Layton described as a "distinct possibility."

Martin not budging

Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Paul Martin said the offer he made to the NDP to improve health care protection will stand, despite Layton's rejection of the plan, which could set the stage for a winter election.

Martin he is not willing to negotiate with Layton to ensure the survival of his minority Liberal government, The Canadian Press reported.

"We sent out a very clear proposal to Mr. Layton, that proposal is now government policy, and we are proceeding with it," Martin said.

"If Jack Layton wants to join with us to protect health care, he is more than welcome."

Layton had been considering the Liberal offer on controlling private health care in return for NDP votes in any upcoming confidence vote.

Layton's outrage is over what he says is the Liberals' failure to put the brakes on private health care.

He said that if the package presented last week to his party was before Parliament, the NDP would vote against it. However, he did indicate there was room for the Liberals to regain NDP support.

But with Martin making his position clear on Tuesday, a return to the negotiating table appears unlikely.

Opposition chances

The first opportunity for a non-confidence vote is on Nov. 15 -- the Tories' opposition day. The opposition's next chance to bring down the government on a motion of non-confidence is given to the Bloc Quebecois, on November 17.

But Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe suggested he's not prepared to introduce one either, saying he'll wait for the Conservatives or New Democrats to take the initiative.

In fact, since the Gomery report was released last week, none of the Opposition parties have declared themselves willing to table a non-confidence motion on one of the six available opposition days between November 15 and late December.

This is likely because no party wants to bear the blame for triggering a holiday-season election campaign.

Peter Donolo of The Strategic Counsel told CTV Newsnet's Mike Duffy Live that in a Nov. 4 poll his firm conducted, about two-thirds of Canadians indicated they didn't want an early election.

However, respondents also said they wouldn't hold it against the party that did trigger one, he said.

Donolo's firm prepared another poll released Monday, and it shows the Liberals regaining some of the popularity they lost -- with both the Conservatives and NDP dropping.

Here are the new numbers, with the percentage-point change from the Nov. 4 poll in brackets:

• Liberals: 35 per cent (+7)
• Conservatives: 28 per cent (-3)
• NDP: 16 per cent (-4)
• Bloc Quebecois 13 per cent (no change)
• Green Party: 8 per cent (+1)

The cooling of Gomery as a news story probably helped the Liberals, Donolo said.

"And I also think (the respondents) got to think of the notion of the Conservatives winning an election," he said.

Bernie Gauthier, an image consultant with Delta Media in Ottawa, told Mike Duffy that Harper should talk about corruption and taxes -- "whatever the issue he wants to be framing discussion in this country" -- and not a possible election.