If the conservatives, or the liberals get a minority government, there should be serious talk of forming a grand coalition. No, I don't mean between the Liberals and the NDP. What I'm talking about will shake Canadian politics to its core. If the Conservatives get a minority government (which they likely will), Stephen Harper should ask Stephane Dion to form a coalition government. Liberals and Conservatives together in government! Am I crazy? Well, we had one during the second world war! Also, there was a grand coalition in Britain during the depression. There are also countless ones today, with the German CDU-SPD Grand Coalition.
The world is heading towards a deep recession (even though Canada has weather it so far, our time will come, soon). Harper can say that for the sake of the economy the Liberals and Conservatives should join forces, throwing aside the crazy NDP and the increasingly annoying Bloc Quebecois.
The House of Commons will look like this:
Conservatives 120
Liberals 90
Bloc 48
NDP 45
A Conservative-Liberal Government would look like this:
Speaker - Peter Milikin
PM - Stephen Harper
Finance - Jim Flaherty
Foreign Affairs - Michael Ignatieff (he has a similar foreign policy as the CPC and theire no credible one in the CPC Caucus)
Environment/Deputy PM - Stephane Dion
Defence - Peter Mackay
Justice - Rob Nicholson
Public Safety - Stockwell Day
Treasury Board - John Baird
Revenue - John McCullum
Public Works - Scott Brison
Health - Tony Clement
Indian Affairs - Chuck Strahl
Agriculture - Any conservative other than Gerry Ritz
Social Development - Give it to Ken Dryden to make him happy.
Immigration - Diane Finley
Industry - Marc Garneau (if he wins)
Transport - Lawrence Cannon
Fisheries - Some Liberal from Newfoundland
(Give most of the other, low profile portfolios to Liberals).
Now this would be a government that roughly 60% of Canadians voted for. Danny Williams will throw a fit. Jack Layton can realize his dream of being opposition leader, and economic policy will be streamlined through the committees and the Senate.
This would provide for a strong government in uncertain times. the Conservatives and the Liberals would work out a realistic economic plan, and would be in control of Foreign Affairs and the Environment (minus the Green Shift). This would be countered with the conservatives having full control over Justice, Defence and Senate Reform. I'm sure some would be shocked, but many conservatives would swallow it because it would prevent a possible Liberal-NDP coalition, and the Liberals would like it because they would be part of the government.
(Oh and notice that Bob Rae and Ralph Goodale do not have any big portfolios? They're be sent to junior minister jobs if Dion insists on having them in the cabinet.)
Brilliant, or Crazy, what do you think?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
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11 comments:
Oh, man! And I just ate, too!
I doubt Harper could even buy a vote in Alberta after that!
Seriously!
This is something that could have worked with the Paul Martinites. There are a lot of people in the Liberal party who do see eye to eye with the CPC regarding fiscal policy. Dion is even one of them, ina some ways as he does take the advice of economists who speak of tax cuts, but his career is staked to Green Identity, even though I actually think he doesn't really care that much about the subject. If he did I would have expected more of a green way of life from him but he seems to live like any other person.
I have always wondered why Ignatief is even a Liberal, his philosophies are more native to the modern CPC. Same with Emerson, and thus the switch.
In the end I think this is not a probability, even though many MPs in both parties likely would see eye to eye on issues if they were allowed to be frank.
The Liberals depend on their identity more than the Conservatives do. As we have seen from Coalitions of the past, one party does tend to get absorbed by the other. If there was another election afterwards it is likely many Liberals would jump ship to a "New Conservative/Canada Party". The corporate elite behind the Liberals would never stand for this.
However for the good of the country if both parties shed some of the silly MPs (the CPC getting rid of the church is the state goofs and the Liberals getting rid of their pack of socialist fools) the whole country would be better off under a more Libertarian/Conservative party.
That is insane!!!
I just finished watching Mansbridge interview Dion on The National.
It was curious that Dion would NOT rule out including Elizabeth May in his cabinet. Even after Mansbridge went on to another topic, Dion reverted to the notion of May being in his Cabinet.
What kind of policy would we see from this mix? Will our economy die a green death? Will the GST be back?
Meanwhile, on CTV National News, Dion was reported mentioning on a couple of occasions that he had a transition team in place. He even referred to himself and his wife as Prime Minister and “First Lady”.
JC Kelan
I am waiting for the media to label Dion arrogant because he is talking of a transition team. Remember how Harper was raked through the coals in an election because he dared to talk of a transition team.
The only Liberal I can stomach is Irwin Cotler and possibly Bill Graham, and Graham has retired, no?
I can't see this happening. I would rather see he Tories sit in opposition
Interesting idea, although I doubt it will happen. In many European countries such as Germany, this is quite common, however they have a long history of minority governments and coalitions, which we do not. Still even as a Liberal, I wouldn't be opposed to it, although I hope it is with Dion as PM and someone from the Liberals for Finance. Deputy PM can go to a Tory as can some other portfolios.
Certainly a Con/Lib coalition would be a good thing, but I don't see the Liberals being willing to put country before party.
Coming from England and observing Canada, what I see here is a Liberal party that is too dominant for a good democracy to thrive (thanks Quebec for helping with that - I don't understand why they don't either separate already, or get with the federal parties).
The Libs seem to be able to paint the NDP as "too socialist" and the Tories as "too right wing". The centre is probably what the electorate want, but the trouble is when 1 party can claim to "own the centre" (with help from CBC/CTV), that 1 party becomes filled with a sense of entitlement and power-hunger, and lacking in fresh ideas.
The pairing of left-wing vote-winning rhetoric with centrist economics once in power is such a winning combination, I can't see how it can be beaten for the foreseeable future.
The demonizing of the Tories is flat-out dishonest, and I reckon the more intelligent Libs (including Dion) know this deep down.
Long term, what Canada needs is a party consisting of the right half of the Liberals, and all Conservatives apart from the religious right (say 75% of Tories). Now that is a party I would go out and fight for.
You guys are probably right, many Albertans and conservatives would scream (and many liberals too), but it would weaken the Liberal brand and make the conservative party appear less right wing, and will be a truly national government!
Some times we have to think outside the box. But Dion would never agree to it, maybe Ignatieff would if he were leader.
I'm sure man conservatives (and Albertans would agree to it if the alternative was a Liberal-NDP coalition government!)
Harper would go down in history as the Prime Minister who put country before party, and that would make the conservative party the true party of Canada.
Something like a Grand Coalition could be arranged on a smaller scale by having the Prime Minister inviting some or all of the selected Liberals on the list (less Dion, of course) to serve on a coalition cabinet.
The invitation to serve in a coalition cabinet for the duration of the financial crisis would bring some much needed horsepower into the actual governing of the nation, rock the Liberal party back on its heels and probably ignite a more destructive round of infighting in that party.
Dissolving the coalition cabinet by mutual consent when the crisis is over will still leave the CPC as best equipped and financed to fight another election. As a BTW, this might have been the real reason for the election; a second minority would fall faster and leave the "left side" of politics scrambling for cash to fight another campaign in a year's time.
Thucydides has an excellent point. Maybe Dion and his team can be thrown out and Ignatieff can lead the non-lefty liberals into a coalition government!
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