A Canadian Coalition?

Posted by Colin Temple on December 2, 2008 in Politics

I’ve fallen behind on my blogging.  It’s crunch time at school, as I have four short papers due on Wednesday and exams beginning on Saturday.  I also have a growing pile of work to get through within the next few days.  I just haven’t had much time, but I must comment on some recent political happenings.

What the hell is going on here in Canada? I stop paying attention for a few days and it seems like everything is falling apart.

For those of you who are either outside of this country or similarly distracted from the media, here’s the deal.  The opposition and others in the House of Commons are eager to get Stephen Harper out.  No big surprise there, but their level of enthusiasm in that regard has spiked, to the point where they’ve now signed an agreement to form a coalition government.

The government would consist of members of the Liberal Party and the NDP, with members of both parties forming the new cabinet.  The Bloc Québécois has agreed to support the coalition government for at least 18 months, while the NDP and Liberals are set up to work together for 30 months if they form a government.  Dion would be Prime Minister, at least until May 2009 when he will step down as previously stated.

I’m a bit torn on this issue.  I’m not a Conservative supporter.  My views have always been towards the left (though not radically), so I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of another Harper government.  However, I’m not crazy about Dion, either.  How can we accept him as our Prime Minister when the Liberal Party itself doesn’t want him as their own leader anymore? I’d love to see the NDP make a more prominent role, but is this the right time to be mixing things up?  With the economy what it is, Canada needs some stability.

I’m definitely in support of some changes for politics — the current system is flawed.  After all, the Liberal and NDP parties together represent over 44% of the popular vote in Canada, while the Conservatives represent less than 38%.  With the support of the Bloc, the coalition would have nearly 55% of the voters’ strength behind it (and probably some of the Greens’ 6.8% of the October votes).  Overall, more Canadians voted to the left of centre than to the right. Even without Bloc support, the Liberal-NDP alliance has a better shot at accurately representing Canadian voters, if you believe the numbers.

But can it last? If the Conservative government falls next week, or in the near future, how long will a coalition hold up?  Will we be back at the polls in 2009?  Canadians weren’t thrilled to be voting a year early this fall, especially when it provided nearly the same result as the previous election.  How can the taxpayer feel good about another expensive election?

And since this government can’t hope to function without the support of the Bloc — that is, the one party that wants Canada to fall apart as a single country — it’s a bit unnerving.

Don’t worry, I’m almost done my rant.  I’m frustrated with what’s happening, because I really fear that this will divide the country and cause more trouble than it’s worth.  But I’m trying to have a little optimism… after all, if a left-of-centre coalition can actually function, I’d much prefer that to a Conservative government.  The question is, with Dion, Layton and Duceppe working together… what kind of trio are we getting? Time will tell, but Canada’s in for a bit of a headache, it seems.