Breaking news: Coalition
November 30th, 2008 at 11.16pm (News)
NDP, Liberals reach deal to topple minority government
A deal has been negotiated between NDP Leader Jack Layton and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion that would see them form a coalition government for two and a half years, the CBC’s Keith Boag reported, citing sources.
The NDP would be invited into cabinet and get 25 per cent of seats, Boag said, adding that the party wouldn’t get the position of the finance chair or the deputy prime minister’s post.
We’re in a really sticky situation here, and I suspect that instead of becoming the beacon of Canadian democracy everyone is hoping for, it will just piss off the entire country instead of the majority who didn’t vote for Stephen Harper and the Conservatives.
On one hand, a majority of Canadians did not vote for the ruling party. This means that ousting him is likely a good development for most of the country, and will potentially make up for the fairly useless and expensive election we just experienced. No Harper means that the substantial left wing will be better represented in government.
However, as much as I’d like to see him become Prime Minister, Stéphane Dion is hardly in a position to govern at this point. He has led the Liberal Party to a crushing defeat, lost support from his party, and agreed to step down in May 2009. A leader that has already effectively resigned is not the most logical choice to suddenly govern the nation. Layton would be a difficult choice as well, though, considering his party’s small showing in the House and his own current problems. Had the Liberals finished with a leadership convention, this would be a little less of an issue, but as it stands you can already see the Conservatives shouting insults at the coalition plan.
Since the BQ are not entering into the coalition (but have said they will support it, which also means that the coalition has to support them pretty substantially), the numbers look a little questionable too. The Conservatives currently have 143 seats in the House of Commons; the Liberals and NDP combined have 114. With the support of the BQ’s 46 seats the coalition has a majority, but the Bloc is neither obligated nor expected to vote completely with the new government. In fact, it is certain there will be at least a handful who vote with the Conservatives. This is a shaky situation.
It would be nice, though, to show Harper that breaking his own fixed-election law was an unwise idea, and that the recent (now reversed) proposal to cut the public subsidy for political parties was not appreciated. The Conservatives rely much less on the public funding than the opposition does, of course, and so the move was widely viewed as a badly disguised attempt to destroy the opposition. “Sticking it to the man”, though, is not an entirely credible move in federal Parliament.
The CBC has posted a question-and-answer with a political science professor on how the coalition might work, and he has refused to even speculate on what a coalition between the Liberals and the New Democrats might look like. It is almost completely unprecedented, and the situation is very precarious. It’s impossible to determine who really would lead, though Dion says he believes he has the right to do so.
This coalition, though, is probably the only option. With Harper’s Conservatives floundering around and still half-denying the economic crisis, the opposition was bound to defeat them sooner or later (the vote will happen on December 8); they do not seem to be catering to the needs of the average Canadian. But will this coalition be any better? I’d love to hear your thoughts, because I am a little up in the air.
The fun never stops on Parliament Hill!
(I apologise for the lack of sources other than the CBC — I was just reading the site and linked to various posts. I hope you’ll forgive my unintended bias.)
Tags: canada, oh the controversy!, politics
Chrisb said,
December 1, 2008 at 2.16pm
This is nothing more than a aggressive take over of government.
Kevin Bo Bevin said,
December 1, 2008 at 8.38pm
As much as I love the sound of “Prime Minister Dion”, I think it would be irresponsible for the government to fall at this time. All parties should be working as hard as they possibly can to create a budget that is satisfactory to pass in the house.
Instead, the opposition parties seem to be spitting nothing but “I don’t like it was written by conservatives.”
It would be a horrible abuse of power to undermine the government in this way, but it would not be the fault of the opposition. In fact, it would be the fault of the conservatives for failing to present a budget that is acceptable to the majority of the country.
But in any case, it’s fun to watch, so… Either way, I’ll be happy to have something to talk and read about!
barbara said,
December 1, 2008 at 10.53pm
I think this is very exciting and will be a good test of our parliamentary system. It pleases me greatly.
Gareth said,
December 2, 2008 at 1.47am
Chris, it’s hardly a coup, all the people who would govern over the coalition have already been elected, they just weren’t formally united at the time of the election.
It’s certainly ironic, considering how borderline subversive Harper was when he was in the opposition when Martin was PM. All in all, I’d just be happy to see Stephen Harper lose his job and gradually become a bad memory. I’ve heard rumours that he might resign his office rather than face a vote of no confidence that he knows he will lose, and I can’t help but wonder what the consequences of that would be.
PS: For extra fun, read some of the comments on the CBC article. Western Secessionists sure are fun!
Peggy said,
December 2, 2008 at 6.17am
This is criminal. It just shows us the caliber of the Liberal party. They will go to any length to run this country even if we as Canadians did not choose Dion to run Canada. I am one ANGRY Canadian who wants to have a vote over this – we need another election. They say Harper is arrogrant, but I ask who was more ARROGRANT than P.E.T.
Jane said,
December 2, 2008 at 8.13am
I am thrilled at the prospect of Prime Minister Dion and the thought of Stephen Harper having to ask a black woman for a new election or to prorogue Parliament makes my whole month!
Danny said,
December 2, 2008 at 10.41am
If Canadians thought that we were in a recession just wait until this coalition takes power and shuts down the oil patch which has been taking care of this country for the last hundred years. It took about 20 years for the country to recover from the National Energy Program and now this. I guess those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Oh by the way how did everyone like the equalization payments because if this happens say goodbye to that. Oh I forgot the east’s industries will bail us out. Like the auto industry for example. Lets not forget that Canada is among the best economy in the world right now with the best banks. This economic downturn is not Canada alone it is shared worldwide. Harper has handled this the way I think it should be handled. Why pour a bunch of tax payers money into a stimulous package that will surely be a complete waste of money. If this coalition takes power we are 1 year away from a recession mark my words.
Ruhee said,
December 2, 2008 at 12.18pm
Well, welcome to everybody who meandered over here from the CBC blogger sidebar. My blog hits have been skyrocketing!
Here are a few things I’d like to say to one or all of you who have left comments, in no particular order.
1. I am a Liberal and, what’s more, I am a supporter of Trudeau. Sure, he was a little arrogant, but he did a lot of things I agreed with, including helping those prosecuted by Idi Amin get out of Uganda and surrounding countries. This is why you can read my words today: Trudeau brought my parents to Canada.
2. We’re heading into and/or already experiencing a recession. There’s no point in denying this as the Conservatives have been trying to do for quite some time. A stimulus package means we’re working towards stabilization, which is sorely needed at this point in time.
3. Gareth and Kevin are right as usual.
Maybe this isn’t the best thing for Canada, but it’s sure seeming like Harper isn’t the best thing for Canada either. What this is really doing is proving to the nation that we should change our voting system; it’s time to turf first-past-the-post and get some proportional representation back in. In the end, that’s really what this tussle is all about (the lack of representation and/or the bad handling of a minority government), and we could fix that issue.
Kath said,
December 2, 2008 at 6.05pm
I also think that all of this is kind of ridiculous and somehow to me (granted, I am not a polisci anything) it seems like the reason they are doing it this way is sort of grandstanding. He may lead my party, but I am not much of a fan of Layton himself, and maybe it’s just his style, but it seems like this is a pretty splashy move … and I would hope that they would, as has been mentioned, try to *all work together*. That was the lesson of the election: everyone shut up and try to cooperate like adults, because we’ll keep ignoring you if you continue to seek attention — doesn’t seem like that was heard. But I’m not sure Harper would be on board for general cooperation, so maybe it is necessary …
Gareth said,
December 2, 2008 at 6.11pm
Point 3 is my favourite, Ruhee. Also, I didn’t realize “Kevin Bo Bevin” was Kevin until I read his comment and checked the link to KevKev. Sad day for me.