Categories: Capital Read, Inside the Queensway

Just another sleepy Monday on the Hill

by kadyomalley on Monday, December 1, 2008 2:07pm - 48 Comments

Man, if only we could get some excitement around here:

Opposition deal would oust Harper, pour billions into economy

December 1, 2008 – 14:00

THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA – Opposition parties have reached a tentative deal that would see Liberal Leader Stephane Dion take over as interim prime minister and pump billions of dollars into the economy.

But some hurdles still stand in the way of the plan to oust Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s minority government next week.

The Liberal caucus agreed Monday to support the tentative deal and allow Dion to take over as prime minister until a new leader is picked next spring.

“We’ve decided that the only person and the best person to lead and form a coalition government is the elected leader of our party … Stephane Dion,” said leadership hopeful Dominic LeBlanc.

“We are comfortable with that, we support that and we think that’s right.” [...]

Tags: coalition government, governmentdownbringingwatch 2008, Harpergeddon, her excellency to the white courtesy phone, where are you now guy giorno

More by kadyomalley

Mike

Is Michaelle Jean even back yet? Kady, call Rideau Hall and ask.
FB

Prediction: Coalition goes through. Instead of posing sensible alternative policies and letting the coalition where the recession, the Conservatives try again and again to ram a wedge in it, which doesn’t work because they obviously have a strategy to deal with such tactics. Ignatieff majority government in July 2011.

Heard it here first folks.
TobyornotToby

Right after the election I wrote here here that Dion should step aside completely and that in the event the Conservatives continued to behave as if they had no need to consult parliament about anything, that an interim Liberal leader should seek a coalition with the other parties and defeat the government.

That appears to be happening, but I now think that with the government backing down on the most egregiously partisan (and foolhardy) components of the FU, the opposition parties should declare victory for parliament, congratulate Stephen Harper on what may be his first ever occasion of compromising, and stand down their threat to vote non-confidence. (with the threat to reconstitute a coalition if the Conservatives stray into revenge territory again).

Canadians are open to a coalition, but they would be suspicious of one led by Stephane Dion, who is lamer than a lame duck right now, and after Harper has appeared to compromise, because that’s what we’d really like, a minority government that works with the other parties. I know that’s difficult to imagine, but so is a successful coalition. GG Michelle Jean, if presented with a non-confidence vote should send the parties back to the House to find a compromise.
Ti-Guy

That would make sense if Harper didn’t back down on pretty much everything in his FU. But he did.

Sure. And of course Harper won’t pull any more stunts, right?
FB

…that should be “wear”.
http://www.wernerpatels.com Werner Patels

In short, think of any word whose meaning is or is related to lying, stealing, corruption, amoral behaviour, disregard for democratic principles, etc., and in each case you can substitute “Liberal” as a synonym.
KOL

“GG Michelle Jean, if presented with a non-confidence vote should send the parties back to the House to find a compromise.”

The parties have found a compromise: A Lib-NDP coalition will have the support of the Bloc for at least one year. I doubt Harper can present Jean with a more stable option.
David

I agree with Lord Bob. Also, this will seriously undermine our democracy. Here in the West, people are fuming. The opposition, if they had backed down when the Conservatives backed down, would have wielded enormous power over Harper, who must have had an enormous scare. Now, if they TAKE power, their power will be tainted. Let Harper govern for a year in this mandate, if it turns bad, take him out at that time, but not now.
green poll

Funny, here the west where I am, people are cheering. The “west” isn’t just you and some disgruntled Calgary conservatives.
http://prairiewrangler.wordpress.com/ Olaf

Sure. And of course Harper won’t pull any more stunts, right?

Of course he will. But deal with that when it happens. As of now, and from an artificially Liberal perspective, just hope he’s tolerable for the next year or two, then when the economy starts picking up vote nonconfidence and bring him down, blaming him for every lost job and depleted savings account. Then you can govern by yourselves, with a PM you actually want (Iggy), instead of letting Layton in on the act (making him seem like a viable left-of-centre alternative). That’s the smart play here, I’ve convinced myself. And once I convince myself, whoo boy, am I hard to unconvince.
http://demosthenes.blogspot.com Demosthenes

FB: Ignatieff isn’t a given. Now that it’ a race for power, people who had opted out might opt back in.

(Including, perhaps, Dion himself. Which is probably why Ignatieff was so reluctant to make this thing happen.)
Mike T.

People in the West fume over everything, Dave. They still get livid about a 30 year old energy policy. It’s just part of the makeup of the country.
Lord Bob

David raises something else that’s been bugging me. Is it physically possible to even conceive of any government that cares less about the west than a Liberal-NDP coalition backed by the Bloc will? They’re going to make Trudeau at his National Energy Program cash-stealing prime look like John Diefenbaker.

(My own prediction: Canadian Forces trucks will be used to drive huge sacks full of cash with no strings attached up to Ontario factories that haven’t been profitable since the National Policy. Meanwhile, falling resource prices causing stagnation in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan will be greeted with, at best, behind-the-scenes mockery.)
FB

Demosthenes: I doubt many Liberals will look favourably on a candidate who didn’t want the job when it might be hard but are happy to take it when it’s a cakewalk to the Prime Ministership…
Saskatoon Sean

Give the NEP a rest….geez, move on…This “west” resident is not fuming at all, I suspect the other 45 odd percent of “west” voters aren’t either.
David

I am a bit wobbly on this myself. I don’t think it is the right thing to do (topple the government already). But it would be very good for my wallet (because of the industry I am in). At least short term. I also think that the Liberals should get their party in order first (financially etc). Do some clean-up. Then start governing. I am a Dutchman originally, and know a thing or two about coalition governments. You want a head-ache? Go for a coalition. Power, we all know, corrupts. I don’t think the NDP will survive the sharing of power. Big-time fights will show-up, especially when there is no Stephen Harper to take aim at. Ergo, the NDP and Liberals will have to score points against each other AND work together. Duceppe must be having a field-day.
Sunny12

B.C. will care. The coalition has already announced a $30 billion stimulus package which will make a lot of folks across the country happy about the coalition.

A coalition also knows that the agreement is precarious, and will stick to a tight script for the most part, as the deal is only for two years. Most of the policy issues will be agreed to upfront, and they will essentially have two years to get through it (which is not very much time). Now the real challenge will be dealing with unanticipated events, but they will work that out I guess. Coalitions have worked through out Europe, I’m sure they can do it without completely blowing it here. In fact there was more chance of weird policy and curve balls coming from the TOries, where everyone stayed at the behest of Harper. Dion is not going to have anywhere near that much power.
Lord Bob

Give the NEP a rest….geez, move on…This “west” resident is not fuming at all, I suspect the other 45 odd percent of “west” voters aren’t either.

You’re just fine with a government that has explicitly declared itself to be against everything that’s in your interest? You’re fine with parties with a solid track record of picking Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic every single time except when somebody’s paying the bill? You’re just fine with a government whose representation outside of Eastern cities is almost nil?

Really?
Lord Bob

(Disclaimer I meant to add to my previous comment: I’m a western separatist. I’m used to getting screwed over by the East. I’m just never happy about it.)
http://prairiewrangler.wordpress.com/ Olaf

B.C. will care. The coalition has already announced a $30 billion stimulus package which will make a lot of folks across the country happy about the coalition.

Do you know, by chance, what they plan to spend it on? Or is spending money an inherent good? Perhaps it’s the good, like in Plato’s world of forms.
Coyne Crisis

Lord Bob: Wait – you’re a separatist? You should talk to Karol. I hear Karol’s looking for some people to arrest for treason.
Neil

No matter which way you cut it up – Harper has damaged hinself beyong repair
madeyoulook

Félicitations, M. Dion.

You have perfected the strategy of winning by losing. As you have squeaked through at your party’s leadership convention, so shall you now squeak through in Parliament.

If “he’ll have to do for now” is the best we can hope for at the moment, I wish you well as Prime Minister. Please do not confiscate too much from my kid’s future for the sake of the least-worst economy in the developed world.

Merci.