Thoughts on a Canadian Coalition Government crisis

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I wouldn't say that map is really that accurate. I mean, it leaves out Alberta which is far more populous then Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Also, Anticosti Island at the mouth of the St Lawrence and the Gaspe region of Eastern Quebec are linguistically and culturally distinct from the neighboring provinces (Quebecois) so them being part of the eastern maritime nation doesn't make much sense.

Parts of Europe do it frequently. It depends on the electoral system - Ireland has a different voting system and has coalitions but they're fairly constant (FF+PD). Not so in a place like the UK though.

All the Canucks ever seem to talk about is elections. I remember when I was there they were talking about it.

We've had a lot of them over the past few years, I think many of us are pretty tired of the uncertainty of our government, I know I am. I miss the stable Chretien years...

Watching and waiting topic

At this moment Harper and the GG have been incommunicado in her office at Rideau Hall for over an hour (10:30 ET) on Thursday, December 4. We are still waiting for The PM to crawl out and make a statement. Like watching a tree grow.

If the GG does not concede to his request to prorogue Parliament he may resign , but another election? Lots of instability, both economic and political.

GG has agreed to prorogue (suspend) Parliament until January 26, 2009 topic

As it happens on CTV NewsNet
Just heard from CTV's Robert Fife of this news. I am now waiting for Harper to come to the podium set up just outside a business entrance of Rideau Hall to anounce details of the 2 hour:o meeting between him and our Governor General.

Harper's days are numbered.

I think the coalition is out, at least I hope so.

Just watched the Harper speech. Robert Fife expressed hope in Harper's comments hat he would work with the national parties to work on the economy, and will have a new budget ready on January 26, 2009. How he will do that when Parliament is suspended is another question. Haper's cuts were the meanest cut.


Gilles Duceppe, of course, condemned everything Harper said, and stated en Francais that Harper and his government does not have the support of Quebecers.

In English, Duceppe said that Harper does not have the confidence of Canadians. I think Gilles is angry that the coalition is toast, and his grab for what ever he can get is gone.

Federalist approaches are the best strategies for government and the economy. I hope when Michael Ignatieff becomes PM that this approach will be practiced.

Jack Layton said that Harper is just trying to protect his own job. Naturally. Layton has no confidence or trust in the Harper conservatives. He said there is no economic stimulus to help working Canadians.

I am waiting for Dion. Maybe he is still stuck, out of focus, in the cellphone!!

Dion has escaped. Here he is, on CTV NewsNet:

Harper has railed to build consensus and bridges. Challenge is for him to listen the the "coalition"'s ideas. Harper must go unless he makes a "momumental change."

Mike Duffy thinks the door may be open for a concilliatory move, by Harper et al. Tory? Will cooler heads prevail? Good old fashioned Canadian Common Sense?

Stay tuned.

Deep seated problems topic

After all those years...and I had not heard abut this guy, a member of the PQ. He must have been pardoned years ago.

This global financial crisis should unite all of us now, according to the opinions of many Canadians. Now there is a time out, so to speak, so tempers can cool off and MPs can return to their constituents and deal with matters there, and hen bring back ideas to Parliament. That much anticipated budget had better reflect the concerns of us ordinary Canadians.

Thoughts are still with me topic

I will be reporting on this topic once again at the end of January when Parliament returns.

See you then. Stay tuned!!

Leadership, not a coalition topic

Apparently Dion is doing his exit thing before the end of January...just in time for Harper's government to fall! There will be two main contenders, now that Leblanc is dropping out. (Piano man) Bob Rae and Mike (Eyebrows) Ignatieff.

Should be interesting. Better to have a two person race, as not so many choices. (There are other contenders, but they will not get far. Maybe in years to come.)

Stay tuned.

sartresue, wishful thinking?

Six weeks from now there will be a budget vote. All the parties have an opportunity to contribute to that. How each party acts in this time will weight heavily on the public mind.

At the end of that time, if the coalition parties have contributed, when the vote comes in, they should probably support it, or look like terrible hypocrites. If they vote for the bill, the conservative government will persist.

If, in that time, they have decided not to contribute, it makes sense that they will reject the budget and the government will fall. We will have a general election in which they begin with a two fold strike against them: they hindered the prosperity of Canadians... for political gains. They will die at the polls.

Furthermore, the liberals, at least, are destitute. Last election they required a 90 thousand dollar entry fee from their running candidates to help support campaign costs. Do you really think they have money for another election?

I suppose they could ask the governor general for permission to form the government, but she denied it once, why would she now say yes? They have twice been denied the legitimacy of forming a government by the electorate, and once made overtures of side stepping an election in a bid to seize power. A good number of Canadians support a coalition, but only if it DOESNT involve a deal with the BQ. But the cooperation of the BQ would be vital to make a coalition government viable.

So no, as I see it, the conservatives will persist through the next confidence vote. The coalition is dead in the water and the liberals cannot afford another election. They are already deeply in debt.

In the next few weeks we will see what they plan. They will either scurry for campaign funds AND work on a private budget bill, or they cooperate with the conservatives in finding a consensus for Canadians. We will likely know in a week even.


Whats your analysis?