Politicians of every stripe these days seem to be bending over backwards to tell us they don't want an election at the same time they are clearly preparing for one. The common wisdom it seems is that Canadians don't want another election and will punish whichever party causes one. I am one Canadian who cant wait to get to another election. Under the current political climate in Canada and with the polling numbers sitting close to where they were at the time of the last election it doesn't seem like much is poised to change.I would suggest that many significant things could happen. The first and worst of all scenarios of course would be for Stephen Harper to cobble together an unholy alliance of western rednecks and Quebec nationalists, convince enough soccer moms that crime is out of control and gain his much coveted majority. Goodbye Canada, Turn off the lights on your way out, pass the poison Kool-aid. Nobody wants to think of that nightmare for long so lets move on. A second possibility of course would be a Liberal Majority. If swing voters were to recognise just how weak Harper is on the environment, if the 401 area held and farmers turned against Harper to save the wheat board then the liberals could squeak out a majority. This would give Stephane Dion a chance to prove he really does have a vision for a progressive new Canada and it's not all sloganeering. A third possibility and my personal favorite is a Liberal minority with the NDP holding the balance of power. Or perhaps even an official coalition majority Government. Dion could make Layton Environment minister.The numbers were very close for this scenario during the Martin minority and I have held out hope ever since. The NDP would pull the liberals in the right direction on Afghanistan, child care and health care but the liberals would protect the charter and make sure the NDP wouldn't take the golden goose to the guillotine. A fourth case of course would be another Tory minority. If that happens we simply try again.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Minority Governments put everybody in bed
Politicians of every stripe these days seem to be bending over backwards to tell us they don't want an election at the same time they are clearly preparing for one. The common wisdom it seems is that Canadians don't want another election and will punish whichever party causes one. I am one Canadian who cant wait to get to another election. Under the current political climate in Canada and with the polling numbers sitting close to where they were at the time of the last election it doesn't seem like much is poised to change.I would suggest that many significant things could happen. The first and worst of all scenarios of course would be for Stephen Harper to cobble together an unholy alliance of western rednecks and Quebec nationalists, convince enough soccer moms that crime is out of control and gain his much coveted majority. Goodbye Canada, Turn off the lights on your way out, pass the poison Kool-aid. Nobody wants to think of that nightmare for long so lets move on. A second possibility of course would be a Liberal Majority. If swing voters were to recognise just how weak Harper is on the environment, if the 401 area held and farmers turned against Harper to save the wheat board then the liberals could squeak out a majority. This would give Stephane Dion a chance to prove he really does have a vision for a progressive new Canada and it's not all sloganeering. A third possibility and my personal favorite is a Liberal minority with the NDP holding the balance of power. Or perhaps even an official coalition majority Government. Dion could make Layton Environment minister.The numbers were very close for this scenario during the Martin minority and I have held out hope ever since. The NDP would pull the liberals in the right direction on Afghanistan, child care and health care but the liberals would protect the charter and make sure the NDP wouldn't take the golden goose to the guillotine. A fourth case of course would be another Tory minority. If that happens we simply try again.
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Unfortunately Dion has about as much appeal as a soiled, wet dish rag. I am afraid the Liberals fortunes are bleak with Dion as leader. There is hope on the horizon with the announcement that Justin Trudeau will be running in the next election, but don't expect to see the liberals back in power(majority) until they get a strong leader.
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