CanPol: May(?) 2011 Election. Vote today!

[notyoueither]

Sure. How many of them are inuit?

[BlackCat]

Depends who get elected.

[notyoueither]

I'm reading about Greenland and Danish representation. There seem to be a lot of non inuit names.

[BlackCat]

I'm reading about Greenland and Danish representaion. There seem to be a lot of non inuit names.

Me tinks dat you are drunk and filled with prejudicies - me - I'm only drunk and want to sleep (dang, I need to sleep))

[notyoueither]

No. I am drunk and reading about Danish representatives from Greenland to the Danish parliament. I'm not seeing the native population represented.

[Wezil]

I'm thinking that when it sinks in that we face a Liberal government dependent on the Bloc to govern, Iggy is going to have a very short political career.

I think the issue would have a much shorter life span if Duceppe would produce Harper's offer document from a couple years back. During the debate would be priceless.

I'm also wondering if parts of the Liberal party led him into this now to get rid of him sooner rather than later.

Possibly, but if they are then they are displaying good party unity going into the campaign. I don't get the sense hordes of Liberals are sitting on their hands as they did when Dion ran.

As all the parties including C-'s brought this about I'm more inclined to believe it has to do with the numerous provincial elections coming this fall. If a Fed election was to happen this year it needed to be in the spring.

[Wezil]

I guess I don't have to wait for the debate. Harper is facing questions about his proposed coalition with the separatists already.

But after Mr. Harper finished his speech to supporters — he eventually moved on to tout his government’s record and the budget that never made it past presentation stage — he gave a quick press conference that was dominated by coalition questions.

Except they weren’t about Michael Ignatieff.

Reporters wanted to know why Mr. Harper would call a coalition of opposition parties undemocratic when he himself wrote a letter to the Governor-General in 2004 that said he and the other opposition leaders at the time — Gilles Duceppe and Jack Layton — were ready to discuss leading the government should then-prime minister Paul Martin lose the confidence of the House of Commons.

Mr. Harper responded that he only ever tried to bring to the government down in order to force a election, not by seizing power outright. But he did not address the 2004 letter, which said specifically that should Mr. Martin ask then-Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson to dissolve parliament,

“This should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority.”

It led to a scene eerily like that which confronted Mr. Ignatieff on Friday, when the press badgered him over his refusal to give a straight answer on the question of whether he would be open to forming a post-vote coalition. On Sunday, Mr. Harper would only say that he never tried to seize power. Reporters were soon shouting questions. “What was the letter for? Why would you send the letter? Why won’t you address the letter?”

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/03/27/scott-stinson-harper-faces-his-own-coalition-monkey/

Almost makes me believe in karma.

[Fake Boris]

I would vote for the Bloc if I could (seriously). Quebec needs to go.

Yup.

It doesn't have to be hateful. Let's make it an amicable breakup and remain friends with benefits.

[notyoueither]

I think the issue would have a much shorter life span if Duceppe would produce Harper's offer document from a couple years back. During the debate would be priceless.

Harper would have paid a huge price if he had succeeded in 2004. The math then is as it is now. Only one party could govern without needing the Bloc for confidence issues in the Commons (then the Liberals, now the Conservatives).

Harper attempting to commit political suicide then is not a good argument for the Liberals doing the same thing now.

I did read that Iggy said the party with the most seats should form the government, and that's good. However, what he does not say is that if the Bloc and NDP refuse to support Harper, government will fall to the Liberals by default, and the Liberals will require Bloc support to govern.

Possibly, but if they are then they are displaying good party unity going into the campaign. I don't get the sense hordes of Liberals are sitting on their hands as they did when Dion ran.

As all the parties including C-'s brought this about I'm more inclined to believe it has to do with the numerous provincial elections coming this fall. If a Fed election was to happen this year it needed to be in the spring.

Good points.

[Fake Boris]

NYE, it's still possible that the Libs could govern with the NDP, and I suppose that wouldn't be such a PR disaster.

[notyoueither]

Not on the math of this past election (Lib 77, NDP 37) or in 2004 (Con 99, NDP 19).

The most likely scenarios for this election involve the Conservatives with the most seats. With the Bloc having their usual 40 to 50, the Liberals would require Bloc support to replace the Conservatives in government. If the Liberals win the most seats this is not an issue.

[Fake Boris]

Sure Lib-NDP having enough is not likely, but things can still change.

[notyoueither]

I'm hearing reports of the NDP and Bloc coordinating in Quebec. They will not run candidates against each other in a couple of target ridings.

[Fake Boris]

I would be surprised if this went any further than "we'll not really campaign there".

[notyoueither]

CTV was reporting that they will not run candidates in the two target ridings (the Bloc drops out of one race, the NDP drops out of the other). I am getting this second hand.