Countdown to a new Coalition: Restoring Confidence to the House

It is often said that a week is a lifetime in Politics… It has never applied as much as this week.

Wednesday night I was speaking on climate change and my new book, Global Warming for Dummies, at the New Glasgow Public Library. I was handed a note saying that the Conservatives had leaked that the next day they would announce plans to kill the public funding system to political parties. The note asked if I would do an interview with CBC TV immediately after my talk. I checked the YES box on the note and picked right up on the rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

The next day the utter failure of the Harper government to respond appropriately to the current global financial crisis had a shock value far larger than the immediate threat to our finances. Sure, Harper might want to kill the Green Party, but he’s supposed to be an economist. The shock of that statement lost the confidence of the House.

And that is what this is really about. It is about the fact that the Harper minority government has lost the confidence of the House.

It cannot be fixed.

The Conservatives still do not get it. They are acting as though they can go back and un-do the act of brutal political force and partisanship over responsibility that was exemplified by the Thursday coup de gras hidden in an empty economic package.

Baird has pulled back the threat to public funding of political parties, saying the Conservatives will bring it back later. They have backed off the attack on public sector unions and their right to strike. Who knows what will be next? As Samuel Johnson wrote: "Impending execution concentrates the mind wonderfully." And the Harper Conservatives are now concentrating. Anything and everything may be announced in the next week. But what good can it possibly do?

Losing the confidence of the House, losing the trust of the public, means that no one believes them any more.

It is not a negotiation.

Today former Conservative, Independent Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey issued a release saying:
"At this critical time of economic crisis, Stephen Harper has failed Canadians as Prime Minister. ….Rather than providing leadership and a badly needed economic stimulus package, Mr. Harper and his Finance Minister Jim Flaherty opted instead to play partisan politics and for some reason, attack unions and women’s rights…."
"We are at this point because for two years, Mr. Harper has disrespected the role of opposition parties, traditions, laws, MPs and Parliament."

Bill Casey put his finger on it. This is not a one time display of bullying, might makes right governance.
This is the result of more than two years of disrespectful, abusive behaviour. Only this time they went too far. Bob Rae on CBC this morning said one could almost hear the crack of the Achilles heel in the House as the cruel calculation of the Flaherty economic statement sank in.

They have gone too far. They cannot take it back and the Opposition Parties cannot and must not back down.
Visit: www.progressivecoalition.ca and www.defendourdemocracy.ca

Countdown to a new Coalition: Restoring Confidence to the House

Countdown to a new Coalition: Restoring Confidence to the House

It is often said that a week is a lifetime in Politics… It has never applied as much as this week.

Wednesday night I was speaking on climate change and my new book, Global Warming for Dummies, at the New Glasgow Public Library. I was handed a note saying that the Conservatives had leaked that the next day they would announce plans to kill the public funding system to political parties. The note asked if I would do an interview with CBC TV immediately after my talk. I checked the YES box on the note and picked right up on the rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

The next day the utter failure of the Harper government to respond appropriately to the current global financial crisis had a shock value far larger than the immediate threat to our finances. Sure, Harper might want to kill the Green Party, but he’s supposed to be an economist. The shock of that statement lost the confidence of the House.

And that is what this is really about. It is about the fact that the Harper minority government has lost the confidence of the House.

It cannot be fixed.

The Conservatives still do not get it. They are acting as though they can go back and un-do the act of brutal political force and partisanship over responsibility that was exemplified by the Thursday coup de gras hidden in an empty economic package.

Baird has pulled back the threat to public funding of political parties, saying the Conservatives will bring it back later. They have backed off the attack on public sector unions and their right to strike. Who knows what will be next? As Samuel Johnson wrote: "Impending execution concentrates the mind wonderfully." And the Harper Conservatives are now concentrating. Anything and everything may be announced in the next week. But what good can it possibly do?

Losing the confidence of the House, losing the trust of the public, means that no one believes them any more.

It is not a negotiation.

Today former Conservative, Independent Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey issued a release saying:
"At this critical time of economic crisis, Stephen Harper has failed Canadians as Prime Minister. ….Rather than providing leadership and a badly needed economic stimulus package, Mr. Harper and his Finance Minister Jim Flaherty opted instead to play partisan politics and for some reason, attack unions and women’s rights…."
"We are at this point because for two years, Mr. Harper has disrespected the role of opposition parties, traditions, laws, MPs and Parliament."

Bill Casey put his finger on it. This is not a one time display of bullying, might makes right governance.
This is the result of more than two years of disrespectful, abusive behaviour. Only this time they went too far. Bob Rae on CBC this morning said one could almost hear the crack of the Achilles heel in the House as the cruel calculation of the Flaherty economic statement sank in.

They have gone too far. They cannot take it back and the Opposition Parties cannot and must not back down.
Visit: www.progressivecoalition.ca and www.defendourdemocracy.ca

Countdown to a new Coalition: Restoring Confidence to the House

They aren’t impressed (CathiefromCanada)

Over at Macleans blog there is a post by Aaron Wherry titled Eulogy for a government? and the first comment is this one: I donated 1000 dollars to the Conservative Party of Canada this year, and 400 to my local campaign. What has transpired in the last 72 hours has absolutely disgusted and disillusioned me. At the first Conservative Party Convention (in what…

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Explore : Canada, Conservatives, Government, Parties, Politics

They aren’t impressed (CathiefromCanada)

Because they really do need babysitting, that’s why. (Canadian Cynic)

Shorter Conservative Party of Canada: “Dear supporters: It’s important that you all get out there and defend us. And since you’re all clearly insufferable morons and unspeakable imbeciles, let us help . ” AFTERSNARK : Note to Harper Youth — when your handlers feed you the actual words to use: you might want to avoid describing your little circle-jerk wankfest as a…

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Explore : Canada, Conservatives, Parties, Politics

Because they really do need babysitting, that’s why. (Canadian Cynic)

Kill Him, Kill Him Dead (Sandwalk)

These are interesting times in Canada. We recently re-elected the Conservative Party as the party with the most seats in Parliament—but not a majority. That means Stephen Harper becomes Prime Minister of a minority government. What this normally means is that the government has to craft legislation that will receive the support of a majority of the house. But that’s…

Source : Sandwalk (subscribe)

Explore : Canada, Government, Politics, Prime Minister, Stephen Harper

Kill Him, Kill Him Dead (Sandwalk)

Harper, Per-vote Funding, Hypocrisy and the State of Democracy

In just mere days, the debate has gone from cutting government funding of political parties, an inherently undemocratic proposal, to bemoaning discussions regarding the possibility of creating a coalition as being an inherently undemocratic proposal. Something doesn’t add up.

Harper’s partisan proposal to cut all per-vote funding for political parties and the utterly unnecessary crisis that it has created, may go down as one of the biggest gaffes in Canadian political history. Why on earth, in the midst of an economic crisis, the government would create a political crisis is beyond me. Apart from proposing a financial update without a thread of anything that could be seen as economic proposals, for a man who is clever and cunning, to create this stare-down contest between himself and the opposition parties is ludicrous. Even Jeffrey Simpson, who endorsed Harper prior to the election in the Globe and Mail, called Harper an “economist with a tin heart, politician with a tin ear.”

Quickly realizing that he had miscalculated the consequences of his proposal, the government has shifted themes faster than the scenes in Run Lola Run, just add a dose of hypocrisy to it too. It’s first action was to remove the party funding question from the confidence motion. It’s second move was to move the vote on the government’s fiscal update to next week. It’s theme? With opposition parties in constant talks to form a coalition should the government fall, the Conservatives have labelled any such coalition as undemocratic and against will of Canadians. A fundraising scheme set up by the Conservatives maintains: “As you read this letter, the Liberals are holding secret negotiations with the socialist NDP and the separatist Bloc Quebecois to overturn the wishes of Canadian voters and take power…We need your help to ensure they do not succeed.”

Firstly, it’s not undemocratic. In a multi-party system, parties are allowed to use all of the available tools of Parliament and politics. I wonder what Harper would say about WWI PM Robert Borden who created a coalition around conscription – I’m sure he wouldn’t have the nerve to say it was undemocratic.

Secondly, Harper and the Conservatives are right. Canadians did not elect a coalition. One may make the argument that more people voter for opposition parties than the Conservatives, but that’s a symptom of our electoral system. They are correct: Canadians elected a Conservative government.

But shouldn’t that government do that certain something that governments do? Govern? It appears that people who have been exhibiting this sentiment the most have been Conservative members and supporters themselves. They elected this government and expect them to govern, not threaten other parties and threaten the possibility of another election.
Throwing a partisan wrench into the gears of one of the most intense economic periods in Canadian history, when Canadians deserve solid governance that addresses financial issues and people’s needs with a concerted and comprehensive economic package, is inexcusable. It may very well prove to be very stupid as well.

So what happens next? Actually, despite what anyone may say, the answer is that democracy will thrive. The opposition parties will continue to discuss creating a coalition. Harper will continue to bemoan their attempts to do so. The government will pressure the opposition and the opposition will pressure the government. This leaves two possible outcomes: the government will listen and provide a real economic stimulus package, or a coalition government will emerge. Democracy will work either way. Canadians will either have the current government realize what our country needs or Canadians will witness something sorely missed in Canadians politics in recent years – overcoming partisanship in the spirit of co-operation. So there may be a sweet silver-lining for Canadians watching a show of silver heads in suits.

Harper, Per-vote Funding, Hypocrisy and the State of Democracy

Canadians deserve real leadership during economic crisis, Goodale

OTTAWA — The Conservative government’s continued panic-mode governing further undermines Canadians’ confidence in its ability to manage our economy in a time of crisis, said Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale.

Canadians deserve real leadership during economic crisis, Goodale

Canadians deserve real leadership during economic crisis, Goodale

OTTAWA — The Conservative government’s continued panic-mode governing further undermines Canadians’ confidence in its ability to manage our economy in a time of crisis, said Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale.

Canadians deserve real leadership during economic crisis, Goodale

Canadians deserve real leadership during economic crisis, Goodale

OTTAWA — The Conservative government’s continued panic-mode governing further undermines Canadians’ confidence in its ability to manage our economy in a time of crisis, said Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale.

Canadians deserve real leadership during economic crisis, Goodale

Harper, Per-vote Funding, Hypocrisy and the State of Democracy

In just mere days, the debate has gone from cutting government funding of political parties, an inherently undemocratic proposal, to bemoaning discussions regarding the possibility of creating a coalition as being an inherently undemocratic proposal. Something doesn’t add up.

Harper’s partisan proposal to cut all per-vote funding for political parties and the utterly unnecessary crisis that it has created, may go down as one of the biggest gaffes in Canadian political history. Why on earth, in the midst of an economic crisis, the government would create a political crisis is beyond me. Apart from proposing a financial update without a thread of anything that could be seen as economic proposals, for a man who is clever and cunning, to create this stare-down contest between himself and the opposition parties is ludicrous. Even Jeffrey Simpson, who endorsed Harper prior to the election in the Globe and Mail, called Harper an “economist with a tin heart, politician with a tin ear.”

Quickly realizing that he had miscalculated the consequences of his proposal, the government has shifted themes faster than the scenes in Run Lola Run, just add a dose of hypocrisy to it too. It’s first action was to remove the party funding question from the confidence motion. It’s second move was to move the vote on the government’s fiscal update to next week. It’s theme? With opposition parties in constant talks to form a coalition should the government fall, the Conservatives have labelled any such coalition as undemocratic and against will of Canadians. A fundraising scheme set up by the Conservatives maintains: “As you read this letter, the Liberals are holding secret negotiations with the socialist NDP and the separatist Bloc Quebecois to overturn the wishes of Canadian voters and take power…We need your help to ensure they do not succeed.”

Firstly, it’s not undemocratic. In a multi-party system, parties are allowed to use all of the available tools of Parliament and politics. I wonder what Harper would say about WWI PM Robert Borden who created a coalition around conscription – I’m sure he wouldn’t have the nerve to say it was undemocratic.

Secondly, Harper and the Conservatives are right. Canadians did not elect a coalition. One may make the argument that more people voter for opposition parties than the Conservatives, but that’s a symptom of our electoral system. They are correct: Canadians elected a Conservative government.

But shouldn’t that government do that certain something that governments do? Govern? It appears that people who have been exhibiting this sentiment the most have been Conservative members and supporters themselves. They elected this government and expect them to govern, not threaten other parties and threaten the possibility of another election.
Throwing a partisan wrench into the gears of one of the most intense economic periods in Canadian history, when Canadians deserve solid governance that addresses financial issues and people’s needs with a concerted and comprehensive economic package, is inexcusable. It may very well prove to be very stupid as well.

So what happens next? Actually, despite what anyone may say, the answer is that democracy will thrive. The opposition parties will continue to discuss creating a coalition. Harper will continue to bemoan their attempts to do so. The government will pressure the opposition and the opposition will pressure the government. This leaves two possible outcomes: the government will listen and provide a real economic stimulus package, or a coalition government will emerge. Democracy will work either way. Canadians will either have the current government realize what our country needs or Canadians will witness something sorely missed in Canadians politics in recent years – overcoming partisanship in the spirit of co-operation. So there may be a sweet silver-lining for Canadians watching a show of silver heads in suits.

Harper, Per-vote Funding, Hypocrisy and the State of Democracy

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