Categories: Need to know

Poll shows Canadians still leery of Liberal-led coalition

Skepticism abounds despite Ignatieff’s anti-coalition statements

by macleans.ca on Monday, March 28, 2011 12:59pm - 39 Comments

A new poll shows most Canadians aren’t convinced Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff would forego a coalition in the even the Conservatives win another minority. Ignatieff has flatly denied the idea of a coalition, but a survey conducted by QMI Agency shows that only 17 per cent of Canadians believe he would not form one with the NDP and the Bloc Québécois. There is even high skepticism among Liberal voters, 35 per cent of whom do not believe their leader’s claim, while 32 per cent do. A whopping 95 per cent of Conservative voters say they are staunchly opposed to the idea of a coalition.

Canoe.ca

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  • Mark

    Despite the rules of our parliamentary system, coalitions between parties that don't win a plurality just seem very off putting.

    If the Liberals win a plurality and they'd like to form a coalition with the NDP, then by all means, go ahead. You won the election, govern how you best see fit.

    • KeithBram

      So if the minority party with the fewest votes loses the confidence of the house shortly after an election, as nearly happened in 2008, you would rather see another election called and spend another $300 million, rather than give the parties that finished lower – but who together represent a greater percentage of both seats and voters than the first-place finishers – a chance to try their hand at governing?

      Just to be clear that you are clear on the only other alternative…

    • Reverend_Blair

      What if the government falls in 3 months though? Do you want another election? It's part of the checks and balances of our system.

  • psiclone

    It doesn't matter what Iggy says Canadians don't trust him … case closed – there it is in a nutshell – you can see it when he gives speeches as ther is no sincerity in anything he talks about it is as if he has given the same lecture too many times and places all the appropiate words in their correct sequence with the emotives empahsizing all the appropriate spin focus points BUT all the time it's like trying to listen to 10 year old singer trying a love song – no heart no sould in anything – I find after about 3 – 5 minurtes I just want it to get overwith – I could listen to Dion longer even ol Jean – he was a hoot at his speeches – you can kind of almost see the desparation in the eyes of Iggy as look behind him and all you see are libeara eyes focused on their leader not daring to look at the camera less they remain there clearly identifying them the thrower of the knife as it were – so sad really!

    • Proud canadian

      Do you suppose he had to take acting lessons like harper so he can look human. I Doubt it! WAKE UP, your being lead by a power hungry man who works for big business and banks. Not for you!

  • Proud canadian

    ALERT! All polls in Canada are right wing just as all press is right wing. The reason the torires want to cut the CBC is because it's the only press they dont own!

  • LoyalSubject

    Call it what you like–a COALITION or a Liberal minority government propped up by the NDP and the Bloc. Whether Jack Layton is Minister and Finance and Libby Davies is Foreign Affairs Minister is beside the point. What matters is that ANY Liberal government kept in power at the will of 50 separatist MPs is a recipe for complete and utter disaster. Such a government would not be able to lift a finger without the express permission of the Bloc. This cannot be allowed to happen, and there is only one way that it can be prevented.

    • http://dredtory.blogspot.com/ Sir_Francis

      …there is only one way that it can be prevented…

      …by re-electing a “Conservative” minority propped up by socialists and separatists.

  • Ariadne

    Once election is finished, it is so easy for Ignatieff to turn his back and argue that forming a coalition is legitimate in a parliamentary form of government, which he would be right. Coalition has been in effect for quite a while. When all opposition did not even bother glimpsing the cover of the budget before rejecting, you know right away these guys are in cahoots with each other. They voted the government for contempt of parliament and yet were so silent when Trudeau invented it and when Chretien strengthened it. Most especially the contempt these coalition showed to the parliament and to the people who voted for them by not bothering to read the budget before summarily rejecting it, is hypocrisy at its best. For that I would like to express my contempt for these buffoonish parliamentarians. To spend $300 million dollars for an election which we do not need at this time is inexcusable.

    • KeithBram

      Once Harper lost the confidence of the house (officially, that is; he lost it quite some time ago but the opposition were previously afraid to pull the plug) over the contempt finding, the budget was moot.

      That said, they had several hours to review it prior to its public release – and knew much of the contents anyway because the government leaked much of it the day before.

      I will admit, though, that it was bad form for Iggy & Duceppe to have announced in advance that they would reject it. Jack was the only one who gave it half a chance.

      • Reverend_Blair

        I still wanna know if those leaks were legal. We need the RCMP to announce they are investigating Flaherty the way they did to Goodale in '06

  • HarveyMushman

    There is one factor which I don't see getting mentioned with respect to a possible Lib/NDP/Bloc coalition following this election.

    I think it's looking less and less likely…not because of anything Ignatieff has or hasn't said (in fact he's flip-flopped on the idea of a coalition so many times he simply can't be believed anymore.)

    It seems at this point in time that unless something drastic happens, Harper is likely to (at least) repeat his minority government status with at least as many seats as he has now. If that happens Ignatieff will be gone from the Liberal party faster than than a Bob Rae-made deficit…and the Conservatives will again have a de-facto (I hope I'm using the term correctly:) majority again as the Liberals will be too weak to run a minority government while they themselves are (again) leaderless.

    In practical terms…I don't see the coalition happening.

  • KeithBram

    Should anyone ask which two promises he broke the first day:

    1) His promise not to appoint senators (appointed Michael Fortier to the Senate in order to allow him, as a non-elected person, to sit in Cabinet)

    2) His promise that he would not allow members to cross the floor and sit as CPC MPs if elected under another party's banner (inspired by his outrage over Belinda Stronach's defection to the Liberals for a Minister's position, during the previous Martin government). Harper similarly enticed Liberal David Emerson to switch sides for a Cabinet seat.

    It was at that very moment, I lost all respect and trust for Harper. And his actions over the past five years have just made me think less and less of him.

    • Ariadne

      I thought it was the liberals and opposition who block the conservative proposal to have an elected senate, which force the PM's hand to appoint senators to fill vacancies which otherwise would have created a house of imbalance toward liberal appointed senate. It would be political suicide otherwise to be a minority government and to have their proposed bills summarily blocked at all sides – it would have been a stand still with nothing gets done.

      • KeithBram

        Actually, the big hurdle would be the provinces – mainly Quebec. Creating an elected Senate would require Constitutional change. Some changes require seven of the ten provinces to agree; I believe some changes require nine. Regardless, you can bet Quebec would refuse unless it gets some changes it wants – and Bang! – we're back in another costitutional crisis. You can see why politicians – esp. those running a minority government – would back away from it. It was a foolish promise.

        But it's not the fact that he changed his mind on the policy that got to me – it was that he so casually tossed it aside in his very first HOUR as PM because he felt he needed a Que cabinet minister. Promises to his constituents get dropped the moment they become inconvenient. And then he resumed the "elected senate" nonsense again for quite some time – as if the appointment never happened. This indicates a deep-seated character flaw; a raw hunger for power coupled with pure amorality. It told me all I need to know about the man. And so far, he has proved me right time and time again.

  • Reverend_Blair

    I want polls on Conservative coalitions too.

  • filturk

    The public, for the most part, ignore the rules and tradition of our Westminster style Parliament. They can think what they want. It is our MP's who shall decide what course of action to take in the best interests of Canadians. If Harper wins another minority, and the House majority decides shortly after that the government has again lost the confidence of the House, so be it. They will get a shot at governing, period. Another election would definitely not be in the cards, seeing we just had one.

  • Trudeau lover

    The Liberal party media selling the coalition of Liberals, Separatists and the caviar Commies of the NDP is not going to work. The media has never had any problem with the Separatists sharing the PMO with the Liberals, which is just further proof how out of touch the media are with other Canadians. Personally, i hope the media keeps selling the proposition of a Separatist Government controlling the levers of power, because it will surely backfire, while continuing to expose the media as the corrupt, overtly biased Liberal/Separatist activists that they are.

  • West Newf
  • Philanthropist

    A radical socialist/separatist coalition would bankrupt the economy, everyone knows that.

    The coalition agreement runs out at the end of June – so if they win power will we have another election in July?

  • Judge Roy Bean

    Left wingers are so whacked Qaddafi would be acceptable as a coalition teammate should he reside in Canuckistan. CRTC is right wing–LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL. My sides hurt…..

  • Out There

    Ignatieff has flatly denied the idea of a coalition, but a survey conducted by QMI Agency shows that only 17 per cent of Canadians believe he would not form one with the NDP and the Bloc Québécois.

    I am not accusing QMI of biased journalism here, but I fear that they are in a state of moral hazard. QMI would likely do very well under a Conservative majority government – many Conservatives dislike and distrust the CBC, and would prefer to replace it with a more Conservative-friendly de facto state broadcasting agency. Which is where QMI comes in.

  • alfanerd

    i dont think you understand what 'de facto' means. i suppose that you used it to make your ignorant post look more scholarly – I mean, how can you be wrong if you're using latin?

    Anyhow, you have a point though, the CBC with its biased journalism, and waste of 1 billion $ annually, should be eliminated, but not replaced.

  • Proud canadian

    Do you realize that on Feb 9 of this year 2011, the right wing CRTC made it OK for our news to deliberately misinform the Canadian public? Just so the right wing can win an election? That's power hungry! On that day, Feb. 9, 2011 our Canadian culture died. Our news channels are now going to report like FOX News but it will be a gradual change and it is starting with this election campaign. I am scared for Canada's future. My Dad fought on D-Day for our freedom and I don't want to lose that.

  • Darrell Lysens

    The name of the "C.B.C." should be changed to the "L.B.C." (the Liberal Broadcasting Corporation) C.B.C. News and C.B.C. Radio have been run by leftists for many years. This pro- liberal stance is very evident in the wordsmithing by their news writers and producers, this is not right and the C.B.C. have been misleading Canadians for decades ! God help us !

  • V. H.

    Mr Ignatieff should give up his political job and move on to a different job. First of all who can believe this man? We need a patriotic citizen who will truly work for his country and the best interest of his citizens. None of the opposition party members qualify for the job, as they don't have the guts to be united to work for a democratic system. We do not need an other Power hungry and money guzzling group. Enough of all the corruption.

  • Olivier

    Actually the CRTC did not allow this to pass.

  • RMB

    You must be really stupid to believe that the CRTC was doing this for the benefit of SUN news or the CPC. The CRTC was doing this to bring the rules in line with a Supreme Court ruling. The CRTC never goes after liars in the news anyways so what difference could it possibly make.

  • Trudeau lover

    What… are you an idiot! I believe that is the first time I've ever heard someone describe Pierre Trudeaus CRTC as "right wing"! What utter nonsense!

  • KeithBram

    "A whopping 95 per cent of Conservative voters say they are staunchly opposed to the idea of a coalition."

    Really? I'd never have guessed!

  • Je un bon homme

    Canadians are comfortably happy with the quebecless Harper government, and look forward to the NEW majority quebecless Harper government. Why some of us had to work so hard to show you the history of the french, which is pathetic and nonproductive, plus pathetically sneaky, is beyond any comprehension. Get up off your knees boys! Don't be afraid. Just say, "there go my people, I am their leader, I must follow! lol

  • filturk

    So what are you suggesting ? That we abolish a rather neutral network reporting on both sides of the fence, as opposed to a Fox News / National Enquirer / Jerry Springer style cheap thrill, false info channel ?

  • filturk

    I bet you the whole lot of 'em will change their minds once their beloved party finds itself on the opposition side of the fence.

  • West Newf
  • Mike514

    Are those our only choices? The CBC or National Enquirer?

  • West Newf

    Ah yes, Duception and his revised history. Here is the truth about 2004 and all Harper needs. In a court of law, video convicts!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkdXycwDUxA&fe…

  • KeithBram

    You've misunderstood the nature of my snark; I was mocking the obviousness of the statement. OF COURSE they are opposed to a coalition, as it is the best shot the opposition parties have of bringing them down… unless Harper slips up badly on the campaign. As much as I hate to admit it, it's unlikely the Liberals will finish with more seats than Harper. But, one can hope…

    As to 2004, there was no formal coalition of the nature the Liberals & NDP signed in 2008. but there WAS a clear understanding that the NDP and the Bloc would back him if he moved for a motion of non-confidence and then sought to form the government without an election.

    The thing that Harper keeps harping on is the notion that ANY agreement of support from the Bloc in order to govern is some "illegitimate" deal with the devil. Well, clearly, in 2004, Harper was willing to wear those horns – making him a hypocrite. Mechanics were different but intent was the same.

  • filiturk

    I disagree, CBC is neutral, reporting issues from multi angles : left, right and centre. The proof, take Power & Politics for instance : everybody gets to put in their 2 cents, whether NDP, Liberal or Conservative.

    On the other hand Fox News USA, for example, is pure right wing, extreme at that.

  • Blue

    " CBC is neutral "———-after that bit of bull$hit it is going to be very difficult to see any merit in your comments.

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