SOS

OK, my Canadian friends (or other smart people on my flist). I am confused about what the bleep is going on with your government. Part of the reason is my incomplete understanding of the parliamentary system of government, but the rest is the complete lack of coverage here, and let's face it, Matthew Good talks waaaaaaaay over my head.

So let me see if I have this right, and you all can correct me.

The Conservatives won a plurality (but not a majority) of seats in P-ment in the recent election, so their party leader, Harper, gets to be PM.

But, the other parties can band together to form a coalition, then they get to pick one of their own to be PM. (Do they have to sign an agreement? Why can't they just say they're forming a coalition, then vote however the hell they want? Couldn't the Conservatives form a coalition with one or more of the other parties with enough seats to put them over the 50% mark?)

Does someone (who?) have to call for a Vote of No Confidence in P-ment for this to happen? I know the latest general election was called by Harper, the PM. Can anyone do this? Only the PM? At least our madness is confined to every four years. :-) Is there a fixed interval for elections to be called, at a minimum?

So, the other guys, the NDP, the Liberals, and the Bloc (who only give a crap about francophones in Quebec, did I get that right?) want to agree to play nice together to get rid of Harper, but Harper got someone with the authority to call a time out on P-ment (prorogue...I learned a new word!) so they effectively can't make this happen.

And the underlying reason for all this fuckwittery is, as usual, economic, I gather.

So what happens next?

ETA: canis_takahari found this excellent entry in a knitting blog(!) of all places that explains the Parliamentary System and the current crisis with amazing clarity. Thanks Helen. What is Happening in Canada