Canada governor-general returns to tackle crisis — Canada to be Overthrown

It’s actually pretty simple and constitutional. Canada’s government is formed by the party that has the most MPs or members of parliament. It’s sort of like have the the party with the most elected senators sends the party leader to be President, but I digress.

Here, Harper has a minority government with around 37% of the seats in the house. The opposition parties are fragmented, so Harper with the most MPs behind him is Prime Minister and his party forms the government. Minority governments are not very stable, because if the opposition parties get together and form a coalition, then can have a non-confidence vote. The Governor General (the head of state -actually representing the Queen of England) then either calls an election, or asks the coalition if they have enough MPs to form a government.

The major problem here is that the Liberals and NPD party, while have enough to form a government, it too would be a minority. It would only be stable if the Bloq Quebecois, the separatist party agrees to play nice – sincce they would hold the balance of power.

Reality check, it is political suicide for a national party even contemplate being responsible for giving the separatists any more power than they have.

Does this help?

uhm wait, let me get this right…. canada wants to secede from itself???

Truth is, the government sits and rules at Her Majesty’s whim, and Her Majesty’s representative in Canada is our Governor General.

In a minority government, (and you have to have a pluralistic i.e. > 2 party system, a minority is always a possiblity) the party that gains Her Majesty’s respect and support can always be defeated by a numerical majority vote of what’s called “Non-Confidence”. At that point, other elected parties can theoretically form some sort of alliance and ask the Governor-General (i.e. the Queen) for permission to become the government. And this is what is probably about to happen.

In actuality (i.e. heretofore) the parties each hate each other with such venom that this sort of alliance has never really taken hold. Now the unthinkable has happened …

And it truly is unthinkable – the parties that have ‘allied’ are not really allies. Two of the three, the Liberals and the New Democrats (the NDP) are centrist and left of centre respectively. The third party is the Bloc, a party that only runs candidates in Quebec, and which ostensibly exists solely to support the cause of independence for Quebec as its’ own soverign state.

Now, the Liberals are the party of the late Pierre Eliot Trudeau, who fought the separatists hand and fist, and who successfully promoted the cause of federalism for several decades. So, for the Liberals and the Bloc to form an alliance is to imagine Dick Cheney moving to a suburb of Teheran.

Italy has a proud history of forming and destroying alliances dozens of times since WW2. Clearly, democracy can survive such an outrage. Canadians just didn’t figure that it would happen here, and no one ever thought that the Bloc would pony up.

There. Feel better?

Correction to previous submission: the Conservatives received 37% of the popular vote overall, but that translated into 143 seats out of 308, just 11 seats short of a majority. It matters how many seats in Parliament you win, not how many votes you get nationally.

Yes, this whole thing is legal and constitutional. Also dumb. But the Conservative government really pissed off the opposition parties through a ham-fisted attempt to nuke their funding, so they are getting their revenge.

This gets even stranger because the 2nd largest party, the Liberals, are about to choose a new leader. They blamed their leader for the big loss in the election, and he’s on his way out. But the guy who lost the election will end up being Prime Minister for a few months until they can choose a new leader. Then we’ll have a new guy. Then the government will probably fall and we’ll end up back with Harper. Or maybe his replacement, if the Conservatives wake up and get rid of him!

Even worse, the Liberals will be propped by the extremely socialist New Democratic Party, who will get six cabinet ministers. And the two parties will be propped up by the separatist Bloc Quebecois, as noted by the previous poster.

I almost hope the Governor General rejects the whole thing and sends us back to the polls AGAIN, except that now I don’t want to vote for ANY of them.

I certainly hope the GG sends canadians back to the polls, rather than let the Bloq have any actual power. They haven’t had any in the 20 years they’ve been there, just sitting in perpetual opposition with no desire to ever be part of a functioning government. Certainly not time to give them any…Their actual campaign slogan was ‘present’. They certainly aim high!

Awww…. they rallied to do something when the Tories threatened to end campaign financing. How noble.

It was fun in Geography class to color in Canada as a Monarchy and Lebanon as a democracy. haha

The only people who are upset at the prospect of a coalition government are the 37% that voted for the Conservative party and were looking forward to disproportionately high representation. The coalition supported by the Bloc will represent more of the population than the Conservative minority.

The best governments we have ever had in this country have all been NDP/Liberal minorities. For example, that is why we have medicare and old age pensions.

The worst governments we have ever had have all been majority Conservative governments. For example, RB Bennett (the great depression), Diefenbaker (killed the Canadian aviation industry), and Mulroney (brought in the GST, gave away Air Canada, Canadian National, and Petro Canada, signed the (anything but) Free Trade deal with the US, and ran up the largest deficits in Canadian history, to name a few).

So an NDP/Liberal coalition supported by the Bloc, representing over 50 percent of Canadian voters in the last election, would probably be the best bet to come up with policies that will minimize the impact of the imploding economy on ordinary Canadians, while the Conservatives would play their traditional role of cutting taxes for the obscenely wealthy so they could “trickle down” some of their savings by increasing spending on luxury goods. I think the average Canadian would rather get their economic boost directly, not filtered through the pockets of the wealthy elite.

You’re welcome to apply for US statehood at any time. I’m looking forward to a 60 star flag.

At the current rate of US fiscal spending, the US will be applying for province-hood sooner than that will happen. . . .

let me get this right…. canada wants to secede from itself???LOL…. search ” My Discount Bag ” on google to get the same designer bags with Karolina. ” My Discount Bag ” is just for fashion ladies, wow! Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, Coach, Miu Miu, Dior, Hermes, Chloe, Dolce & Gabbana

A lot of people dis America’s two-party system, but at least it avoids crap like this.

20,

You want to make savings you make big ones. You don’t push a completely partisan agreement through that cuts funding to the opposition and maintain your own funding. That’s not a smart thing to do. I guess you enjoy it when you’re boss says “it’s tough. I’m cutting your salary to zero. Mine? Well, I’ll just add yours to it.” But, that’s how Americans like it apparently. And that’s why Wagoner refused to take a symbolic $1 salary when his total compensation for the year is $15 million, of which $1.5 million is his base pay. Yes, Wagoner said $13 million is not enough.

A little on the funding cuts proposed by the Conservatives…

Not long ago, federal legislation was passed that allowed for taxpayer funding of federal political parties. This funding was based on the number of votes each party received in the previous federal election (between $1 and $2 per vote). This was motivated by evidence that special interests (think: lobbyists) were beginning to have an inordinate amount of influence (think: $$$) over MP’s and federal parties. The scheme to replace special interest funding federal parties with taxpayer funding was simply a method of reclaiming the political agenda for the benefit of the citizens and not for industry, unions, religious associations, or whatever. It is seen by many to be the lesser of evils.

The real crisis here is lack of leadership in the major political parties. Looking back on the last election Gilles Duceppe won the French debate and Elizabeth May the English. That should tell you something right there.

Dion would be an interim PM which is crap. Harper is a political moron. Jack Layton is just plain weird. So we could get a government which is focused on Quebec’s south shore and the UAW. Great.

All because Stephen Harper hates Stéphane Dion.

Let’s invade. Wecan offerQuebec independenceif theydon’tfightback,and maybetheWestwill support us.

#32

Dion is not CHANGE so much as spare change. But he’s better than the robot that we have in office currently, not much better however

#29 Only Harper hates Dion?

#30 Funny, that’s the same impression I got.

#32 What change, the same secretary of defense? Bill Richardson as commerce secretary? Please!

It IS a coup d’etat, just the Canadian version which means no murders and no violent protests

#14: Rick Mercer gets it right and in plain English too – easy to understand: Conservatives == bad

If it wasn’t for the Bloc, I’d be 100% committed to the coalition. It’s a shame that they need them for this to truly work out. I guess all those sponsorship scandals are about to be even more wasteful with the Liberal/Bloc association.

Commitment: 90%

I don’t see this as a constitutional crisis.

This is in there so that a Minority gov’t acts like a minority and listens to and takes care of the people of Canada, not their own agenda. Harper has not done this. He used the economic crisis for his own party’s gain, and ignored the will and needs of Canadians – with a global crisis occuring. He screwed up, now the opposition can (rightfully) apply to the GG to boot him.

Do I want another election already? Not really. Do I want the Bloc to have any power? Nope. Will I accept the GG’s decision? Absolutely! We have a parliamentary system that works.

Kinda like Grandma’s gravy – the best in the world, worth the few lumps you have to take with it.

For our befuddled American friends – a brief history of the parties involved here:

Liberals – pretty much the same since Confederation – waffles between somewhat left and centre. Tends to lose power when they go too far left. Canada’s Natural Governing Party. Majority government from 1993 to 2004. Minority government from 2004 to 2006.

Conservatives – Many changes and blow-ups through the years. Latest self-destruction started under Mulroney and the Progressive Conservative party (PC). Came to power with a solid majority govenrment in 1984 because Mulroney convinced Quebecers to come on board. Had many Quebec MPs. Won second majority in 1988 but then the PC party self-destructed. The Quebec MPs left the PC party in 1991 and formed the Bloc Quebecois party (kinda ironic, ain’t it – the BQ formed by ex-Conservatives). The Western conservatives were fed up with the PCs and created the Reform Party in 1987 – stole many western seats from the PCs in 1993. When the dust settled in 1993, the PCs were left with 2 seats (that’s right – from 169 seats to 2 seats), the Bloc had 54 seats and the Reform had 52. The PCs limped along for several years before the remnants merged with the Reform party (now calling themselves the Alliance party – don’t ask) and formed the Conservative party with Harper as leader. Won a minority government in 2006 and again in 2008.

Bloc Quebecois – Formed in 1991 from disgruntled Quebec Progressive Conservatives (see above). Main purpose – look after Quebec. No chance of ever forming government.

NDP – Further left than Liberals – biggest support from trade unions. Tends to be happiest under Liberal minority governments where they have their most influence. No chance of ever forming government (too far left).

#39 You keep endorsing Bush to me. Haven’t you seen that I could care less for repbs or dems? I just call bullshit whenever I see it and Bill Richardson is a lousy choice for commerce. Not to mention that your “reasons” for keeping Gates are as logical as an oxymoron.

I love Canada – their native costumes, song & culture!

#25, Named,

To continue my #48 comment, see # 45 pedro for an example of his Cuban intellect.

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QB, Named, MikeR, and others. That is a good run down on Canadian politics. Thank you all.

*

As Trudeau put it, the NDP are just Liberals in a hurry.

Through Canada’s history, it has been the NDP that has been the driving force behind most of Canada’s social programs and best government. It has also been during minority governments that the Government functioned the best and most responsibly. Of course, the Conservatives are the exception to that rule.

I just heard that parliament has been porogued for two months. That is so audacious by the GG, that I have started to think of the “Republic of Canada”. Isn’t it time we loosed these Bristish shackles ? What does the queen of England or her representative have to do with Canadians ?

#51 & 52,

Too idiots that don’t understand what they are posting about.

The queen does not rule Canada. It is a sovereign country and a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.

No one is appointed that can shut down the government.

Yesterday’s Ipsos-Reid poll:

*75% of Canadians are “truly scared.”
*If election held, Conservatives would win a majority with a record 46% support.
*61% are against taxpayer-funded party subsidies.
*60% for fighting coalition.
*59% prefer Conservatives to tackle economy.

I’m not even going to gloat, as this is not in my respectful nature.

But if I did, it would only to ask how in hell supposed intelligent opposition leaders could think forcefully stripping power from a stable and successful minority government, just weeks after an election and bringing Canada to its knees was going to be a good thing for anyone?

In the morning-after calm of the GG’s wise prorogue, only the opposition looks like a bunch of foaming-mad monkeys. This doesn’t even need to be confirmed by the public lashings the coalition is now taking from members of their own parties.

The coalition’s best bet now is to paint Harper as a brilliant machiavellian svengali.

RBG

I [an American] told my wife this morning that

“The Queen’s “representative” had “prorogued” the

Canadian parliament…… She said “no way”…

BUT the unhappy truth seems 2Bb that a foreign

“sovereign” has [temporary] “final say” in the

circumstances of Canadian governance……….

I can see the advantages of this arrangement BUT

seems 2me more like meddling that mediating…

med⋅dle
   /ˈmɛdl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [med-l] Show IPA Pronunciation
–verb (used without object), -dled, -dling.
to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation; interfere officiously and unwantedly: Stop meddling in my personal life!
Origin:
1250–1300; ME medlen < OF me(s)dler, var. of mesler (F mêler) < VL *misculāre, freq. of L miscēre to mix

UUUhhhhhh BUT meddling is “without right or

invitation” SOOO in this case, its NOT meddling

BECAUSE [apparently] the Canadians invited this

or failed to dis-invite this foreign sovereign

VETO power!!

“Correspondents in Ottawa | December 06, 2008
Article from: The Australian

THE unelected Governor-General of Canada agreed to order an unprecedented suspension of parliament yesterday to save the Conservative minority Government from almost certain defeat in a no-confidence vote.”

+++ WOW, it SAYS it ALL ++++++