OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper urged newly re-elected U.S. President Barack Obama to work with Congress to prevent the so-called fiscal cliff that could plunge the U.S. into recession.

During a telephone call to Obama to congratulate him on his re-election, Harper encouraged him to work together with Congress to remedy the U.S. fiscal issue.

“We encourage President Obama to work to bring Congress together on a resolution of this issue,” Harper told reporters Thursday.

Harper said Canada is preparing in the event the U.S. cannot reach an agreement.

However, the NDP’s Nathan Cullen is not convinced.

“Our concern is that they’re not prepared with a Plan B,” he said.

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Canada would respond if the U.S. cannot address its fiscal situation and ultimately, impacts Canada’s economy.

Flaherty said Thursday that he is prepared to “take steps to control unemployment and to provide economic stimulus.”

“What has been done before can be done again,” he said.

But the opposition said Canada has yet to recover from the first recession and it doubts the government is prepared to tackle an economic crisis.