Coalition Deal To Topple Minority Tory Govt- [Update Parliament Prorogued until Jan]

[ikaris]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

Didn't see anything like this posted:

The shopping list:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Busines...194/story.html

I was expecting something about raping Alberta. All in all, it doesn't seem too bad. More details are necessary to judge properly though.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

Didn't see anything like this posted:

The shopping list:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Busines...194/story.html

this stood out for me
Creation of a new Crown corporation to manage the employment-insurance program so all revenues are used for benefits and training for workers.

It's been a few years since I was up on this sorta thing, but I think thats a gargantuan surplus thats been spent on other things for years. That alone might be a massive deficit.

Taxpayers are doomed.

Yes, nothing like the creation of a crown corporation to piss away money. Brought to you by the same authors of the Gun Registry.

Ugh:

Strategic investments in key sectors, such as the manufacturing, forestry and automotive industries.

Absolute reductions on greenhouse-gas emissions from industry, using 1990 as the base year, to create a North American-wide cap-and-trade system.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

honestly people is this the man you want reader your country?

Since you can't spell in English, I'm doubting that you are fluently bilingual. I on the other hand am giving an hour long presentation to a french audience and I know I'm going to sound just like Dion there given my trepidation with using my second language.

[killer_carlson]

absolute reductions on greenhouse gas emissions eh?

I'd like to know what they are going to do about water pollution into the Great Lakes region.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

I'm not totally up on the rules governing the GG, but is it possible for Harper to kick her out and make, say, Don Cherry, the next GG with the tacit understanding to refuse the coalition, or is she a permanent fixture until her term is up?

That's a good question. According to (sigh) Wikipedia:

It is traditional that an appointed individual act as the Queen's representative for a minimum of five years, but in truth the viceroy serves at Her Majesty's pleasure, and the Prime Minister may advise the Queen to retain the Governor General's in her service for longer.

That implies that if the GG serves at "Her Majesty's pleasure", and that the GG's term can be extended beyond the traditional 5 year term, then it should be able to be shortened at "Her Majesty's pleasure" as well. Who the heck knows what pleasures Her Majesty though. Gin maybe? This is an interesting tangent ... I'll see if I can dig up something more reliable than Wiki on it.

[Devils'Advocate]

What I don't understand is all this complaining about "Liberals wasting our tax dollars" when the Conservatives just spent more than anyone in the history of the country.

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Since you can't spell in English, I'm doubting that you are fluently bilingual. I on the other hand am giving an hour long presentation to a french audience and I know I'm going to sound just like Dion there given my trepidation with using my second language.

Swing and a miss buddy. kinda a stupid move on my part to have a spelling mistake in that post but i am actually fully bilingual and if I wasn't would never make such a comment.

[killer_carlson]

If this coalition actually goes ahead, Alberta may very well be better off served as a colony of Quebec...

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

Swing and a miss buddy. kinda a stupid move on my part to have a spelling mistake in that post but i am actually fully bilingual and if I wasn't would never make such a comment.

That's surprising. The spelling error thing was rather facetious... Most people who have learned French (or Francophone learning English) would know how hard it is to do and sympathizes with those trying to learn. Maybe you are fluent... I struggle with it. And I felt for Dion in that interview as I've been in that situation (not being sure I understood the question right and wondering if my answer made any sense) too many times.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Since you can't spell in English, I'm doubting that you are fluently bilingual. I on the other hand am giving an hour long presentation to a french audience and I know I'm going to sound just like Dion there given my trepidation with using my second language.

OT but it wouldn't matter if you were fluent or not.

I (and another) resigned a while back from a selection committee because the rest of the committee refused to give the position to the (by far) strongest candidate because he spoke French in a 'funny accent' (he was fluently bilingual, from Cameroon).

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

That's surprising. The spelling error thing was rather facetious... Most people who have learned French (or Francophone learning English) would know how hard it is to do and sympathizes with those trying to learn. Maybe you are fluent... I struggle with it. And I felt for Dion in that interview as I've been in that situation (not being sure I understood the question right and wondering if my answer made any sense) too many times.

I don't care what Dion was feeling.

I do care about him and Layton stealing from my family.

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

That's surprising. The spelling error thing was rather facetious... Most people who have learned French (or Francophone learning English) would know how hard it is to do and sympathizes with those trying to learn. Maybe you are fluent... I struggle with it. And I felt for Dion in that interview as I've been in that situation (not being sure I understood the question right and wondering if my answer made any sense) too many times.

Oh I've been in the exactly the same situation but common to not understand the meaning of such a basic word as today after having it repeated to you numerous times is pretty sad

[Ford Prefect]

Larf ... for those who don't want to call this a political coup, that's what they're calling it in Thailand.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/...100126005.html

Not that they know what a coup is in Thailand or anything.

[FanIn80]

The cabinet will have 18 ministers from the Liberal Party and six from the NDP. It will be the first time since 1926 that a Canadian government will be replaced without an election.

In the 308-member House of Commons, the ruling Conservative Party has 143 MPs, the Liberal Party 77, the NDP 37 and the Bloc Quebecois 49.

In the Oct 14 general election, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party was returned with a tally of 143 seats in the 308-member House of Commons. But it fell short of the 155-seat majority mark, leading to the current crisis.

Curiously, the man (Dion) who will be Canada’s new prime minister had led his Liberal Party to its worst-ever defeat in decades, reducing its tally from 95 to 77 in parliament.

He is scheduled to step down in May when his party chooses a new leader who will then become the prime minister.

How absolutely embarrassing. I am actually ashamed to be Canadian. Ironically, the last time I felt ashamed of my nationality was during Chretien's reign of terror.

I wonder if there's a pattern there...

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Agreed.

Typically, coalitions are not formed with the idea that they will not last long. They usually just form in times of crisis in order to pass certain measures that are seen as important. For example, the Borden/Laurier coalition was formed so that they could pass conscription during WWI. After the war, the coalition fell.

Are you serious? Forming a coalition to pass a couple of bills is not the same as forming a coalition to replace the current government and swear in a new PM, right after the people re-elected the current PM. I'm not the debating the legality of it.

Like I said, how you can ask people to participate in a process of selecting a government when it's now blatantly clear that their choice doesn't matter?

[killer_carlson]

I think that this shows that Dion has a Hidden Agenda that threatens democracy.

[C_Rush]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

Larf ... for those who don't want to call this a political coup, that's what they're calling it in Thailand.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/...100126005.html

Not that they know what a coup is in Thailand or anything.

Interestingly:

"Curiously, the man (Dion) who will be Canada’s new prime minister had led his Liberal Party to its worst-ever defeat in decades, reducing its tally from 95 to 77 in parliament."

Even they can't wrap their heads around how stupid this is.

[IGGYRULES]

Maybe we could start an online petition to the Governor General to have another election rather than allow the coalition. Could possibly apply some pressure if enough names. I'd rather have another election and see where everything falls after that than have this BS.

[Caged Great]

The thing I've heard from mostly conservative pundits is that this is undemocratic.

What I have to say is, welcome to Canadian politics. If you do not have a majority of votes, you are liable to have the opposition parties unite if they are totally against what your minority stands for. Typically this doesn't happen as differences are minor. This time the opposition are exercising their constitutional rights to do so.

Conservatives can say that they are trying to usurp power, but that argument is only valid if the Conservatives had a majority. They do not.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

• Absolute reductions on greenhouse-gas emissions from industry, using 1990 as the base year, to create a North American-wide cap-and-trade system.

Great.... pretty much everything in the proposed Liberal / NDP wishlist is aimed against Alberta. Aid for failing auto industries...check. Clean energy support (ie Hydro power)... check....Infrastructure and mass transit (Toronto, this one's for you)... check.

In a time where we need a good guiding force to steer us out of the economic mess we have the Gang of Four futzing around like it's the Chess Club vs the Yearbook club in High School. Investors and corporations hate political uncertainty. No one is going to invest anything in this current mess...

I'd love a new election with all three parties required to submit a new leader. Harper may have lost the confidence of the opposition, but the citizens of Canada have lost any confidence in these three morons. Next!

Failing that, I think CP should do this Thai style and take over an Airport in protest of the current Parliament hill ninnies. I suggest Springbank. Instead of Yellow T-Shirts like in Thailand, we'll wear Red (naturally).