Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Canada

Well, this is a bit odd. Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, is facing a revolt in Parliament.

Harper and the Conservatives tabled an economic update, which the Opposition Liberals, New Democratic Party, and Bloc Quebecois all absolutely hated. The reason, they say, is that it does nothing to stimulate the economy. There appears to be some proof to this, according to the Budget Office in Canada.

So, what to do? The Opposition has signed a document which would, in effect, create a Coalition government led by the Liberal Party. This hasn't happened since the 1920s, with the King-Byng affair.  In that case, the result was a majority for Mackenzie King, the ousted PM at the time. So it is entirely plausible that Harper might let this happen. He could, after all, wind up with a majority if the other parties foul up completely. 

Then again, it could also go the other way. The Liberals, once they get their new leader in place, could come across very well. Ditto the NDP, which has been making a lot of inroads and gaining support in the past few elections. There are accusations from the Conservatives that the big two in the Coalition are betraying Canada by allying themselves with the Bloc, which Harper calls Separatist. Nevermind that the Bloc these days tend to demand sovereignty and greater control internally in Quebec over separatism, but the Tories did the same thing to the Martin Liberal minority government a few years ago!

I for one am curious to see how this will go forwards. I don't want another election, or a Constitutional crisis, in the midst of a global depression. The best thing, I would think, would be for Harper to consult with the other parties and cut a deal on the update--to try and find some wiggle room to make a better law and maybe help stimulate the economy, instead of running us into record deficits, as has been commented here earlier.

Of course, Harper has shown less and less likelihood of doing this. He may be playing this sort of game in the hope he can spin it and win a majority. Of course, then, his real agenda may emerge--so far, he's been toning down some of the neo-Conservative rhetoric, although his accusations of "socialism" directed at the Social Democratic NDP is telling. 

What happens next is anyone's guess. I like the idea of a Coalition trying to get things done--its what would happen in a Proportional Representation system, which is my personal preference (and is what has happened in countries around the world!).

Let the Coalition try, if Harper is too stubborn to play ball. Let's see if these other folks can run the government better. If they can, great--more proof that Harper's style of leadership is incompatible with current Canadian politics and with Canadians. If not, then it'll lead to an election anyway, which is exactly what Harper's facing if he is unwilling to work with others.

--Chris

2 comments:

Kar said...

I would soo hate to see another election this soon. I was unhappy when Harper called the premature election back in September. All it accomplished was to show that Dion wasnt cut out to be the leader he tried so hard to convince the people he could be, and Harper wasnt strong enough to pull about a Majority. [which could potentially mean he may never unless a coalition formed messes up quite royally!]

Im still unsure about a coalition, but as you pointed out it could potentially show that Harpers style of politics is not what the Canadian people want.

As some one else said, atleast the coalition would represent the will of 55% of the electorate :)

Chris Taylor said...

And it didn't happen, sadly. The worst part is, now, in the middle of a major economic crisis, we're stuck without a functioning government to try and fix it. I'm not sure how this is effective leadership on the PM's behalf.