It doesn’t get a lot of attention in the US, but boy oh boy is there an awesome political drama going on in Canada right now. Here’s the latest. I’m pestering relatives and friends for help keeping up with this. If you want the basic story line, you’ve basically got a villain brought down by his own arrogance and overreaching (Harper) and a fractious, bumbling opposition apparently able to sock it to him. So far! But stay tuned. Will the new Liberal-NDP coalition fall apart? Will the Liberals, on the verge of a leadership race, break down in fresh in-fighting? What will the about-to-depart-but-suddenly-probably-PM Dion do next? Wither Rae? Ignatieff?
It’s a potential constitutional crisis wrapped in a lot of petty squabbling with the rich sauce of Schadenfreude poured all over the top. Oh, Canada! Sometimes I miss you so.
Paul | 01-Dec-08 at 4:57 pm | Permalink
Didn’t Josh Marshall tell you to cool it already?!
Spaz | 01-Dec-08 at 5:38 pm | Permalink
This one is sooooo awesome!!!
It is funny though, that the press hasn’t mentioned that this sort of stuff is far from uncommon in continental Europe and in parliamentary democracies like India.
Anyway, Stevo has a choice now between letting his government fall, do an about face and offer the seperatist Bloc Quebecois serious concessions to back him, or prorogue (end) this session of Parliament. It appears that he may be leaning to the latter. If so it would be unprecedented and really put the pressure on the (undemocratically appointed) Governor General to decide whether to ignore his request to prorogue and ask the opposition to try and govern, call an election because it is obvious the government does not have the support of Parliament or let Harper dictate when the next session of Parliament will be.
Should be great fun to watch!
Spaz | 01-Dec-08 at 5:54 pm | Permalink
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081201.wPOLcoalition1201/BNStory/politics/home
Chris | 01-Dec-08 at 8:03 pm | Permalink
Also awesome is the fact that Harper is on record in the past delivering a request to the GG that is very similar to the one that Liberal-NDP-BQ coalition is going to make.
Ha ha ha. Harper’s such a dick. I wonder if he still thinks he’s so smart now.
Also not looking so smart these days: Guy Giorno.
Spaz | 02-Dec-08 at 4:03 pm | Permalink
In interesting take on all the underhanded stuff Harper could do:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/Steele
Spaz | 02-Dec-08 at 4:04 pm | Permalink
Sorry, here it is: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081202.WBSteele20081202134134/WBStory/WBSteele/
Kegri | 02-Dec-08 at 7:45 pm | Permalink
what is kind of lame is that people have been throwing around the descriptor “obama-esque”. more like “wishful thinking”.
all the same, it’s plenty fun up here. you should check out the toronto sun headlinez.
“NO! NO! NO! This must not be allowed to happen”
brings a tear to the eye…
Spaz | 02-Dec-08 at 11:13 pm | Permalink
I assume you mean to the Obama comparisons of the Liberal/NDP Economic Advisory Council? How Martin, Manley, McKenna and Romanow are an Obama-esque dream economic team I’m not sure. A former Liberal PM and Finance Minister, a former Liberal Finance & Industry minister, a former Liberal Premier of New Brunswick and a former NDP Premier of Saskatchewan do not a dream team make. They could have called on Martin and then any number of academics, former Bank of Canada Governors, private commercial bank executives and/or business leaders. But, instead 4 (albeit respected) ex-politicians.
Chris | 04-Dec-08 at 1:16 pm | Permalink
Well, there goes that. Harper gets to prorogue parliament until the end of January. That’ll give the coalition more than enough time to fall apart.
Spaz | 04-Dec-08 at 3:00 pm | Permalink
Indeed. Harper will use the two months to make a very realistic stimulus package and sell it to all the provincial premiers and try to pick off any Liberals who were wavering on the coalition. That way, even if he is ultimately toppled he will say that the socialist and seperatist coalition has usurped power from the government that had the agreement from all provinces. Or as you say, the coalition will fall apart. He will have pulled his *%^&*^ from the fire successfully either way.
However, the sheer vitriol for him in Quebec now is something that may last decades. He blew his chance for a majority in the last election because of proposed cuts to arts funding that offended Quebec. Now he’s used national unity as a scapegoat for his own mistakes and alienated Quebec altogether. His dream of a majority are over.
alif sikkiin | 04-Dec-08 at 3:33 pm | Permalink
What’s the deal with the Governor-General? I’ve only read a couple of articles on this mess, and neither of them explained why she allowed the proroguation (sp?) of parliament.
Spaz | 04-Dec-08 at 3:38 pm | Permalink
There is no explanation and tehre may never be. GGs have been historically tightlipped about why certain things have happened. It is rather surprising to me that she didn’t take some time here. She met with Harper for 2 hours and made her decision. She obviously already must have had a briefing from advisors, but she wouldn’t have known what Harper was going to say in its entirity. IMHO she should have waited a few days.
As for why, maybe she felt that given the economic situation that a newly elected government who faught an election in which the voters knew the economic climate, should at least be allowed to table a budget. And if it falls then, then it falls. Maybe we’ll find out in her memoirs one day.
Chris | 05-Dec-08 at 10:42 am | Permalink
I was surprised to see how hard Harper has been slamming the BQ. It seemed obvious to me that the whole “dirty, nasty separatists” line of attack would alienate Quebec. Surely there were other ways to attack the coalition, and in either case, surely he didn’t need to make those arguments in order to get the GG to prorogue parliament. But he did it! He’s such a dick, and he clearly just can’t help his dickishness.
Even setting Quebec to the side, do you think that, say, Ontario is ever going to want Harper to have a majority? I realize that a lot of people are also pissed at the coalition, but nobody comes out of this looking very good.
Spaz | 05-Dec-08 at 12:44 pm | Permalink
Ontario is an interesting prospect. Harper’s only shot at a majority now is to take Ontario by storm. He’s done increasingly better in Ontario and is polling well in Ontario right now. The thing about Ontario to remember is that this province elected Mike Harris to successive majorities largely through the rural vote. It’s in appealing to these voters that his chance at a majority now hinges. He will never take the core of Toronoto (the so-called 416 area) nor the core of Ottawa (where mostly federal civil servents live), however he did extremely well in the Metro Toronto area (905) last time. If Bob Rae is elected Liberal leader this will halp Harper in these areas of Ontario where Rae is hated.
These voters can only really be balanced off if enough other voters vote Liberal (not NDP). It seems to me that that is entirely dependent now on Michael Ignatiaff. He is now the any-body-but Harper’s only hope. I personally find this rather depressing. But, then Harper will never get is ideological agenda through without a majority, which will be very, very difficult now…but, not impossible.
On another note, I am increasingly irritated by the unprofessional manner in which polsters present their results and the press interpret and represent them. Polls have recently reported that the Harper Conservatives popularity has increased to the point that they could win a majority. As I’ve pointed out above, due to how many Parliamentary seats there are in Quebec it is a mathamatical impossibility for Harper to win a majority (unless something profoundly goes wrong for the Liberals and NDP in Ontario). Traditionally you must one province or the other in strong fashion and have enough from the other to form a majority. That is why the Liberal Party has won as many majorities as it has over the past 125 years. The press and polsters know this, but allow the public to think a majority is still possible. It is entirely dishonest.
Chris | 05-Dec-08 at 1:52 pm | Permalink
Ignatieff is a real twerp, no? I’m still annoyed at the crap he wrote about the Iraq War, especially the dishonest non-apologies afterward.
Also, his name is hard to spell, as evidenced by your misspelling it, which I think is also a knock against him.
Spaz | 05-Dec-08 at 2:17 pm | Permalink
I think his name being hard to spell is also a knock against him. But, then I am a notoriously bad speller.
Yes, he is a twerp. Therein lies the true problem for the Liberal Party and Canadian politics in general; it seems to attract twerps or well meaning people who either lack the ambition, connections, language skills or personality to lead.
Spaz | 09-Dec-08 at 1:20 pm | Permalink
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081209.wdailyshow1209/BNStory/Front
Canada really needs Rick Mercer to do a nightly show like Stewart’s.
Well Rae is backing out. So it’s all down to Iggy, who apparently never liked the coalition idea. He may be more likely to play it safe, force some concessions out of Harper, rebuild the Liberal Party and its finances internally and hope any negative consequences of the economy stick to Harper before the next election. I just see Harper being shrewder than Iggy for some reason. Like he’s not afraid to fight dirty. Chretien’s the right adversary really.
Back to John Stewart…everyone knows Canada’s biggest export to the US in recent history has been comedic talent that has forced America’s own to raise their game (Lorne Micheals, Dan Ackeroyd, John Candy, Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Seth Rogan etc.).
Chris | 09-Dec-08 at 1:34 pm | Permalink
Iggy strikes me as sort of absurd. I can’t imagine him prevailing over Harper either. Good thing Harper is his own worst enemy.
Stop pining for Chretien.
Chris | 09-Dec-08 at 2:13 pm | Permalink
Oh man, that video is pretty funny. I love it when they pay attention to us.
Spaz | 09-Dec-08 at 3:49 pm | Permalink
I think he’ll prevail over Harper if he can get the party’s finances in order and target Quebec, urban Canada and rural southern Ontario with a Harper has to go campaign. He also needs to invest heavily into gaining back the 905 from the Party’s recent losses there. Of course none of that has a lick to do with him, just what the Liberal’s really need to do.
I never thought I’d ever pine for Chretien, but Harper has driven me to it.