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It's interesting to see things from my regulatory state and constitutional law courses playing out in real life. Especially after the section on the GG was skipped over because 'nothing ever happens'.
A prime minister should be held to responsible government, he lost the confidence of the house, he should be turfed. Power hungry coward.
I think Harper's actions as a political tactician in response to an impending political crisis is fascinating to watch. His maneuvering with the Bloc prior to proclaiming Quebec a nation within Canada is a prime example. The upcoming 2 months will be really interesting. But in creating this mess, boy sometimes he can be really stupid.
Don't worry Aber, ONE Celine is quite enough!
Harper has lost the confidence of the house and should have had to face the consequences but this coalition is unnerving as well. Hopefully it will be akin to German coalition governments rather than the Italian or Israeli versions if Harper is defeated in late January, early February.
Harper has lost the confidence of the house...
This assumption interested me. I listened to a discussion with 2 constitutional/political science "experts" on this issue. Apparently, one view is that the statement submitted by the coalition to the Governor General constituted "loss of confidence" and therefor she should not have prorogued parliament. The other view was that only an official defeat on a confidence vote represented loss of confidence, and since the government had successfully passed a previous confidence vote, and had not yet had another, the government technically "still had the confidence" of the house. Given the GG's decision, perhaps more of her advisors leaned the latter way, though I'm sure other factors played a large role in her decision. What a great meeting that would have been to listen in on, between Harper and the GG. Harper intended a short meeting, then rushing off to a photo-op in Woodstock for a Toyota plant opening, but she kept him tied up for 2 hours before granting his request and he missed the ceremony. I hope some day someone leaks a transcript.
I was really cheased off watching Harper's machinations over the last week or two.
First, instead of dealing with the economic crisis he decides to poke each of the opposition parties in the eye with measures that seemed almost calculated to annoy them (like the NDP is really going to support ending the right to strike...).
So, he exploits an economic crisis to create a political crisis.
Then, when the opposition freaks out and form their own coalition to run the country he starts Quebec baiting by playing the separatist card. Despite the fact they he never objected the hundreds of times the Bloc backed him over the last few years. And he chose to do it in the middle of a Quebec election where the PQ look like they're going down to defeat. Hopefully he didn't give the separatists something to get worked up about. Way to defend national unity!
So, what's next for good old Harper? Why, go to the Governer General and drag her into the middle of it. Keep in mind, she's the representative of the Queen and supposed to be above political nonsense. Now she's stuck mediating a constitutional crisis over whether or not to prorogue parliament against the written request of the majority of parlimentarians.
She does, and we're stuck with a terrible precedent. Imagine a future PM, facing the prospect of a revolt from within his own party, simply dissolving parliament and ruling by decree for a year?