God Save The Prime Minister
Em December 2nd, 2008
While it is not un-Canadian or unconstitutional to form a coalition and be handed Parliament by the Governor General, I would argue that it is undemocratic. Just as Harper should not have been allowed to dodge his own law by asking Michelle Jean to dissolve Parliament, neither should a conveniently formed coalition (who showed no interest in uniting the left vote during or before the election) be allowed to bypass the vital step of actually being elected as the governing power of the country. My problem is that an unelected, appointed official should not have anything to do with forming our Parliament. She should be a figurehead, nothing more. Giving her power allows for these outrageous decisions to be made. These are the remnants of the days before 1982, when we were still the Dominion of Canada.
I find it absolutely ludicrous that the Liberals and NDP feel that this is the best course of action for a country in financial turmoil, AND before the Conservatives have even introduced their budget. It is clearly nothing more than a power grab. What further worries me is that it is being led by a man who is planning to step down in five months. Where does that leave us next year? And this coalition agreement lasts a mere 18 months. Where does that leave us in 2011? The “party” would be forced to stay together in order to stay in power.
One of my main questions is how the Bloc came to be involved in it. I have my doubts that Gilles went for beers with Jack and Stephane, had a heartfelt talk, and left with two new friends and a common enemy. No, this is the only possible way for this monoprovincial party to once again overrepresent itself, and this time in a position of greater power than the seatwarmers of the last several decades. And it is unfortunately the only possible way for the coalition to become a majority. I would not be surprised to find that the Bloc has been promised something in return for their participation; and based on their reasonable demands in the past, it may be something beyond simply a share in the power.
Scheming to use outdated power structures to gain control of the country is not democratic by any definition. When I first learned about the structure of our constitutional monarchy, I remember wondering at the considerable power the Governor General held. I was told that it was not something he or she would ever execute in a significant way. But now, she has been forced to use it by the underhanded actions of our nation’s leaders. I would rather see another unecessary election than a government appointed by the representative of the figurehead of a country that has no day-to-day power or interest in the governance of our nation.
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