Canada Votes?

[Babbler]

Tomorrow, the Parliament of Canada will return, and a new Speech from the Throne will be read and voted on. The throne speech outlines the government's plans for the new session, and is a matter of confidence (that is, if Parliament rejects the throne speech, the government loses the confidence of parliament, it must resign and call new elections).

Problem is that this is a minority parliament, there the government (the Conservatives [Steven Harper]) is outnumbered by the combined opposition (the Liberals [Stéphane Dion], the Bloc Quebecois [Gilles Duceppe] and New Democrats [Jack Layton]). If they all vote against the speech, the government falls and a new election is called. The Bloc and NDP have made demands on the government that the government has rejected. So it falls on the official opposition, the Liberals to pull the plug or order a stay of execution on the government.

So should there be an election, or is this parliament going to straggle onwards?

My thought: there is going to be no election. Two reasons. The Liberals are in such bad shape they certainly lose. Several provinces, including Quebec and Ontario, have already had elections; people might not want another one. (I like note a similarity between the two elections: An unpopular one-term premier confronts a new chosen opposition leader; opposition loses. Italics indicate understatements.)

 

[Che Guava]

I think in the end you'll be right: no election, no change and, in the end, no progress....and life goes on in Canada....

Pardon me, I think I put a little too much bitter in my coffee...

 

[Zelig]

Not much point in forcing an election if there isn't going to be any change.

 

[bob bobato]

Wow. of all 4 leaders, only Stephen Harper wasn't born Quebec. And the seperatists said they have no place in Canada...

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

Nah, there will be no election this time. Dion has yet to make an impact, and everyone is pretty much terrified of a Conservative majority.

 

[emzie]

Nah, there will be no election this time. Dion has yet to make an impact, and everyone is pretty much terrified of a Conservative majority.

Dion isn't going to make an impact. He was a bad choice, all around.

 

[Evie]

Wow. of all 4 leaders, only Stephen Harper wasn't born Quebec. And the seperatists said they have no place in Canada...

*rolls eyes*

That sort of simplistic calculation would be more impressive if it wasn't for the fact that, of those three :

1)One stand for a separatist party whose membership and candidates are exclusively Québecers. Not impressive.
2)A second is an english-Quebecer who has lived in Toronto the past thirty-seven years.
3)The third has managed to cast himself as the most Quebec-unfriendly of the four party leaders.

 

[sysyphus]

The throne speech won't yield an election, but what disturbs me is that Harper is planning on calling a high number of confidence votes over the next year. Either the opposition has to effectively hand him a majority or brign on an election that would be unpopular.

Pretty cheap and underhanded tactics, and sadly it may work for him.

This is why I believe that we need an elected Governor General. The GG has the power to ask the opposition to form a coalition in the wake of a non-confidence vote, but since they are not elected, there is no moral mandate to do so and would be seen as political interference by an unelected bureaucrat.

 

[Godwynn]

I dunno but this guy is scary.

 

[Mandeville]

lol. Anyways, you heard it right here...

Yes there will be an election and yes the Conservatives will win a majority.

It will be interesting to see how good the Conservatives will get a long with the soon to be elected Democracts in the U.S. too. I imagine well.

 

[Babbler]

I dunno but this guy is scary.

How can you not fall in love those baby blue eyes?

 

[Godwynn]

How can you not fall in love those baby blue eyes?

It may be possible if they weren't piercing my soul.

Jesus, get some sun.

 

[Babbler]

It may be possible if they weren't piercing my soul.

Jesus, get some sun.

sysyphus posted a similar photo of the prime minster.

 

[Che Guava]

lol. Anyways, you heard it right here...

Yes there will be an election and yes the Conservatives will win a majority.

Hear this: You're WRONG!

Wel, at least no election for the time being. As for the conservative majority, I just hope you're wrong there...

It will be interesting to see how good the Conservatives will get a long with the soon to be elected Democracts in the U.S. too. I imagine well.

Yep, on the relative scale of North American politics, the our conservatives and thier liberals (democrats) seem to occupy the same political space..!

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

I dunno but this guy is scary.

Now, he may be for destroying our country, but he is definitely the quickest wit in debates... and that is ENGLISH debates.

 

[sysyphus]

There will not be an election at this time, the Libs know it would be suicide to go right now, despite the results in the Ontario election.