“They want to take power, not earn it,” announced a flustered Stephen Harper in the foyer of the House of Commons last Friday. He was referring to a deal in the making, signed on Monday, wherein the Liberals and NDP would join forces to form a coalition government with the support of the Bloc Québécois.
Quit your whining, Harper.
The coalition vote was supposed to be held this Monday, although it’s been delayed for a week. Since then, Harper has scrambled for a way to hold on to power. Meanwhile, the coalition deal has developed, and public support is growing.
This crisis started because the Conservatives, who were elected to resolve the troubled economy, presented an unsatisfactory fiscal update. The plan proposed cutting spending, limiting rights for public workers to strike, and tightening pay equity.
None of these proposals were well received, and neither was the policy to reduce public funding for political parties. This move would have benefited the wealthy Conservative Party and greatly afflicted the over-budget Liberals, along with the growing Greens. Although Harper claimed this is what triggered the deal, party funding is not the issue.
With a looming economic crisis, it’s time for Canadians to join together against the storm. It’s about time the left-wing parties reached some sort of coalition. Jack Layton flat-out refused to do so during the election, causing anyone who didn’t want Harper (read: the majority of Canadians) to split their votes between the Liberals, Bloc, and Greens. Many resorted to a pathetic attempt at strategic voting.
Election night left Canadians bitter—$300 million spent, and for what? The Conservatives still have a minority, the Greens still have no seats despite growing support, and the left-wing parties are engaged in the same power struggle as before.
This raises an important question: why are we against coalition governments? They work for Italy, Japan, Turkey, Israel, Pakistan, and India, along with most of northern Europe. The only federal coalition in Canadian history was during World War I, under high-pressure circumstances. Coalitions use consensus-based politics. As one look at our political parties shows, Canadians need consensus more than anything right now.
Of course, the left-wing parties have different priorities. Each group spoke viciously against the others, but their platforms are quite alike. With a looming financial crisis that demands action, it only makes sense for parties to work together to save the country from ineffective Conservative governance.
Critics argue that a coalition will cause a schism. None of the left-wing parties are led by individuals from Western Canada, the only significantly prosperous region of the country. Western Canadians may feel that they don’t have a voice, and the Bloc’s involvement suggests a closer step towards separation.
But that’s not likely to occur. The unity of Canadians, despite how much they despise each other, is not threatened. We are united in crisis. We are fighting a war on economic disaster. And during a war, a country unties.
Those fighting for the Conservatives to maintain power are mainly social conservatives. Their frustrations stem from Harper doing little to serve their interest. But keeping him in his place certainly won’t change anything.
The person central to the coalition debate, however, is not Stephen Harper. Governor General Michaëlle Jean will make the decision. The fundamental rule of our democratic parliamentary system is that the prime minister must have, and demonstrate, confidence in the House of Commons. This rule is widely unknown, and has led to dreadful confusion among Canadians.
The GG isn’t supposed to base her decisions on public opinion, but rather parliamentary opinion. If the publicly elected MPs don’t have confidence in the prime minister, there is no democracy, and the system doesn’t work. It is the GG’s role to find a way to make the system funtion. This means dissolving parliament to cause an election, unless there is an alternative option for establishing confidence.
Assuming this coalition is put in place, Dion is set to take the reigns. Although he proved himself a poor campaigner, most political scientists agree he has the intellect and policies needed to help Canada, at least temporarily. The question of who will lead the government after he steps down next year remains unanswered, although it would be surprising if this coalition lasted that long. A coalition of three parties—one socialist, one separatist, and one wracked by infighting—evokes the image of three blind mice.
As soon as the financial crisis is dealt with, we will without a doubt be headed for another election. Hopefully we can finally have one based on the two most pressing issues: the environment, and electoral reform. Until then, let’s get Harper a tissue, and help the rest do what’s necessary.
