Canadian Government about to be overthrown

[kingbill]

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=821f94e2-ba78-410c-b70b-7e68c6a23ecf&p=2

The three opposition leaders signed a historic accord yesterday, agreeing to topple the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the first opportunity, probably on Monday, and promising "bold steps" on an economic stimulus package.


Harper has but one chance to stop them. He can prorogue - or suspend - Parliament this week, essentially shutting it down until he and his party can return to the House of Commons early in the new year with a budget.


Even on that point, though, there are some constitutional experts who may argue a prime minister cannot prorogue Parliament simply to avoid a confidence motion he surely knows he will lose.

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion said yesterday the coalition he will lead will be a "stable, effective alternative" to the Conservatives.


"Given the critical situation facing our fellow citizens and the refusal and inability of the Harper government to deal with this critical situation, the opposition parties have decided that it was now time to take action," Dion said at the accord signing, flanked by NDP leader Jack Layton and Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe.


"I would certainly not want to find myself governing this economy today and in this position, under a situation where I was required to follow socialist economics and be at the behest of the veto of the separatists," Harper said in the House of Commons.


Harper urged the opposition parties to at least wait for his government's budget, which will be tabled on Jan. 27.


Finance Minister Jim Flaherty accused the opposition parties of having no confidence in the Canadian economy.


"They would rather make a deal with the devil," Flaherty said.
"This is a coalition that's supported by separatists, people who would break up our country," said Environment Minister Jim Prentice.

_________________

Our Prime Minister made a HUGE mistake, feeling confident after winning an election, he tried to pass a bill that removed public funding for Political Parties. In Canada, Parties get $1.95 per vote they received in the election. The Conservative party has a funding Machine that far out paces the rest so the loss of Public funds would mean little to them. Because the Conservatives are a minority Government the other parties can team up and hold more power.

Interesting times.

 

[Presto]

What impact will this have? Has this happened before?

 

[Stocks]

What impact will this have? Has this happened before?

I dont know much about it but I dont think it has happened before.

 

[kingbill]

It will be the first time, usually the gevenor general will call another election but we had a general election less than 2 months ago. So We'll have a coalition gov't for the first time. I anticipate an new election in the summer or before, once the liberals decide on a new leader.

 

[barman]

Harper only got in due to extremely strong political backing from Washington DC under BushCo rule.

Now that the American voting populace has soundly trashed all things BushCo and NeoCon, Harper is pretty much left floating on a tiny island in the North American political sea.

Good riddance and God Bless Canada during the coming years of more progressive leadership.

 

[kingbill]

Harper was a political predator but he was like the Scorpion that stung the frog in the middle of their trip across the river. He saw a political power play but attempted the move without the power to do so. It was a horrible mistake, he could have governed for another couple years in minority fashion, but his lust to destroy the opposition was too strong.

Now there is a great chance he'll be removed from leader of the conservative party.

A friend of mine said today, Harper is the great uniter, First he united the Conservative and reformers...now he's gone and united the opposition against him.

 

[OTK]

This whole situation is ridiculous and just proves that voting is almost pointless. The Canadian people chose Harper as our PM, yet it will be the biggest idiot on earth, Dion, that will be PM in a shot while (although only till I think May before the Liberals choose a new leader). Harper is actually someone I can support as the PM. Dion and Layton make Canada a joke and make me embarrassed to live here. Just a completely ridiculous situation and hopefully Harper somehow stays in power, or at least they decide to have a new election instead (what a great way to waste some more money).

 

[Vancouverfan]

OTK, I couldn't agree more. I wanna puke in my mouth everytime I think about Dion running this country...WTF?? Harper and the Conservatives were more popular in the election last month then they were the previous election, I think it had more to do with the dislike of opposition leaders Dion and Layton then it did being backed by Bush and his boys. I've got some friends in Europe following this situation and right now they say our country's political system is a laughing stock over there.

 

[Icemantbi]

What's going on here is downright disgraceful, and is nothing more than a coup! I supported Harper and the Conservatives, they aren't perfect, but the CPC is better than the Liberals and NDP combined. I can't fathom this country governed by the likes of Dion and Layton. You guys in the States think Obama is socialist, well, you ain't seen nothing yet! Worse yet, they have teamed up with the Bloc, who's only purpose is to get Quebec separated from Canada (back in 1995, I was hoping the Yes side would have won, btw... I'd like to see the back of Quebec to be honest, let em separate if they want). It's a good thing we are civilized up here, if this kind of shit went down in a 2nd or third world country it would end in a civil war.

The parliamentary system is a downright joke and should be changed, Canada should be a republic with a President, get rid of all that shit with the queen.

I never in my wildest dreams imagined that a coup could happen in this country.

 

[Ricboff]

Harper only got in due to extremely strong political backing from Washington DC under BushCo rule.

Now that the American voting populace has soundly trashed all things BushCo and NeoCon, Harper is pretty much left floating on a tiny island in the North American political sea.

Good riddance and God Bless Canada during the coming years of more progressive leadership.

good grief, give us a little more credit than that will ya. Your logic doesn't hold---Canadians, in general, share disdain and disappointment for the Bush admininstation. Canadians voted for Harper in Oct as Prime Minister at a larger % of victory than the previous election (albiet he failed to get his majority). Why? because those on the fence couldn't vote for the alternative--- Layton or Dion--unacceptable choices, borderline horrific.

say what you want regarding Mr Harper (arrogant, power freak ,blah blah) one has to give him kudos for his fiscal conservatism. Canada is running an attractive debt to GDP %, the envy of G7 nations. He has saved for a rainy day, so to speak, and that day has arrived as world economies shrink. Canada's awesone run of fed surpluses shall end fiscal yr 2009. His lust for power and unwillingness to bend regarding fiscal policy may due him in, DESPITE WE THE PEOPLE voting him in

a TERRIBLE time in Canada, indeed.

thks for the blessings barman (in bold). All the best to your country.

 

[barman]

heh...My complaint as a sideline observer regarding Harper emanate from my work colleagues in BC and Ontario who decry his utterly horrible social policies - notably his staunch endorsement of amping up the American-backed "War on Drugs"

Likely not a bigger waste of taxpayer dollars and valuable public safety resources and he's all over it.

 

[Stocks]

Looks like our Canadian posters are all Harper backers or against Dion and the NDP and the Bloc who can blame you for that but then again Harper is as big an asshole as they come.

So we got no body up here

NDP - Is a bunch of tree huggers

Bloc - Wants to seperate from canada

Libs - Got Dion as they're leader its like they're not even trying

Con - Harper is lying asshole

 

[kingbill]

This whole situation is ridiculous and just proves that voting is almost pointless. The Canadian people chose Harper as our PM, yet it will be the biggest idiot on earth, Dion, that will be PM in a shot while (although only till I think May before the Liberals choose a new leader). Harper is actually someone I can support as the PM. Dion and Layton make Canada a joke and make me embarrassed to live here. Just a completely ridiculous situation and hopefully Harper somehow stays in power, or at least they decide to have a new election instead (what a great way to waste some more money).

Well the Majority actually voted against Harper, only 37% of the population voted for the Conservatives.

I think we need to lose the 'first past the post' way of electing our government. There is no way a party with little over a third of the vote should get almost have of the seats. Or the bloc with about 10% of the vote getting 18% of the seats in parliament. Especially when you have a party like the greens who received 7-8% and have no voice in Parliament.

www.fairvote.ca

I think the libs will choose Ignatieff and we'll have a new election but the summer time. Harper won't survive most stupid political move since Joe Clark's 4 cent gas tax.

 

[kingbill]

say what you want regarding Mr Harper (arrogant, power freak ,blah blah) one has to give him kudos for his fiscal conservatism. Canada is running an attractive debt to GDP %, the envy of G7 nations. He has saved for a rainy day, so to speak, and that day has arrived as world economies shrink. Canada's awesone run of fed surpluses shall end fiscal yr 2009. His lust for power and unwillingness to bend regarding fiscal policy may due him in, DESPITE WE THE PEOPLE voting him in

a TERRIBLE time in Canada, indeed.

Harper has only been in Power two years, before that the liberals were doing a hell of a job paying down the debt, running huge surpluses. He wasn't the one saving for the rainy day. It was the previous government.

 

[Stocks]

Well the Majority actually voted against Harper, only 37% of the population voted for the Conservatives.

I think we need to lose the 'first past the post' way of electing our government. There is no way a party with little over a third of the vote should get almost have of the seats. Or the bloc with about 10% of the vote getting 18% of the seats in parliament. Especially when you have a party like the greens who received 7-8% and have no voice in Parliament.

www.fairvote.ca

I think the libs will choose Ignatieff and we'll have a new election but the summer time. Harper won't survive most stupid political move since Joe Clark's 4 cent gas tax.

I kind of agree that if you get 10% of the vote you should have 10% of the seats that would be a fair democracy but how would you do that. Now you vote for the federal member running in your area and thats who wins the seat. If you go with the 1% vote for 1% seat deal who in that party gets picked and who from the other party who won they're area dont get a seat.

 

[Willie99]

Typical, the people have spoken, but liberal politicians think "they" know better.

It's the genes I tell ya.


PS: and now Bush has a positive influence on foreign elections? gee, who woulda saw that one coming

 

[Stocks]

Typical, the people have spoken, but liberal politicians think "they" know better.

It's the genes I tell ya.


PS: and now Bush has a positive influence on foreign elections? gee, who woulda saw that one coming

Yes the people have spoken if only 37% of people voted for Harper than 63% of people did not vote for him now the partys that the 63% voted for are joining together to become the majority

 

[kingbill]

I kind of agree that if you get 10% of the vote you should have 10% of the seats that would be a fair democracy but how would you do that. Now you vote for the federal member running in your area and thats who wins the seat. If you go with the 1% vote for 1% seat deal who in that party gets picked and who from the other party who won they're area dont get a seat.

Fair Enough, it all honesty, the Maritimes wouldn't have the same power in Parliament that they have now.

"In the 2006 federal election, more than 650,000 Green Party voters across the country elected no one. Meanwhile, fewer than a half-million Liberal voters in Atlantic Canada alone elected 20 MPs. In the prairie provinces, Conservatives won three times as many votes as the Liberals, but were given nearly ten times as many seats. But more than 400,000 Conservative voters in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver couldn't elect a single MP. The NDP attracted a million more votes than the Bloc, but the voting system gave the Bloc 51 seats and the NDP 29."

http://www.fairvote.ca/en/about_fairvoting

 

[Ricboff]

Harper has only been in Power two years, before that the liberals were doing a hell of a job paying down the debt, running huge surpluses. He wasn't the one saving for the rainy day. It was the previous government.

LOL!!!!!

yeah right, The Liberals, the party of fiscal conservatism in Canada . They were blessed with the commodity boom ( a group of 6 yr olds could have had us in surpluses for said time)---just as they have done decade after decade, fiscal deficits go hand in hand with Liberal power as well as extravagant spending.

careful what you wish for, The Liberals may be back in power in short time....lets see Canada's balance sheet fiscal yr end '09,'10,'11 with those champs in charge (no more commodity boom, sport). Any chance they DECREASE spending? lol. Oh and expect your taxes to start their tragic re- ascent upwards..........your okay with paying more federal taxes, no?

 

[Ricboff]

Well the Majority actually voted against Harper, only 37% of the population voted for the Conservatives.

I think we need to lose the 'first past the post' way of electing our government. There is no way a party with little over a third of the vote should get almost have of the seats. Or the bloc with about 10% of the vote getting 18% of the seats in parliament. Especially when you have a party like the greens who received 7-8% and have no voice in Parliament.

www.fairvote.ca

I think the libs will choose Ignatieff and we'll have a new election but the summer time. Harper won't survive most stupid political move since Joe Clark's 4 cent gas tax.

RIP Liberal party