SOS

[revid]

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

Comments

[tasyfa.livejournal.com]

This is the best explanation I've seen; the "previous post" referred to is here. The Bloc Québecois party are separatists, meaning that they want Quebec to segregate and become its own country. There have been a few of national referendums on this over the years (actually, one such was the first time I ever voted on something!) and they've come back as "no" by a slim margin in each case.

And yes, as and_ed so aply put it, Harper went running to mommy the Governor General, who is appointed by Queen Elizabeth, to prorogue Parliament.

As for what happens now, because P is shut until late January when the budget is due, the consensus seems to be that if the Tories can deliver a budget/economic stimulus package that the coalition deems adequate, they will not take action after all.

[tasyfa.livejournal.com]

Oh and yes, the PM calls the general election. Sometime between five minutes and five years in office, as they like. *g* I didn't even know until a few years ago that there was an Election Day in the US and I was like, huh? How does that work? lol

[iamjw.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll give it a shot.

Prime Minister is determined by who leads the party that garners the largest number of seats in the election. We vote for our local Members of Parliament (M.P.s), who make up these seats.

In the election before this last one, Stephen Harper became Prime Minister with a minority government (he had the most number of seats but not a majority). What this means in practical terms is that the government is unlikely to last four years (the traditional number for a majority parliament, although an election can be called any time from 3-5 years after the election), as the opposition is looking for ways to pull it down and get their guy in. Usually a minority government needs to cozy up to another party to get the votes needed to get things done - in Harper's case it has been the Bloc Quebecois (yes, the party devoted to sovereignty for Quebec).

A no-confidence vote happens when the other parties scent blood in the water and feel that the governing party has brought out a piece of legislation monumental in its stupidity. When there is a vote of no-confidence then Parliament is dissolved and an election follows.

Harper, however, got too smart for his own good and, gambling that the leader of the Liberal party (the only other party with a realistic shot at becoming the governing party) was So Very Unpopular that Harper would get a majority, he decided to call the election claiming that Parloament was "dysfunctional" and nothing could get done.

So we had another election. Harper still didn't win a majority - which says a lot about what Canadians think about him because an awful lot of people hate Dion, the leader of the Liberals.

Now the fun begins. Harper has to bring in a budget. In this budget there are apparently no specific ideas to aid the economy in the current crisis. So, the other two main parties (the Liberals with Dion and the NDP with Layton) decide they can form a coalition, supported by the Bloc, and Dion can be Prime Minister for a couple of months until his party chooses a new leader (he's stepped down as leader because the party isn't going to win with him in charge). Note that the Bloc is not supporting the Conservatives any more - which has Harper practically foaming at the mouth.

Anyway, this all has to be approved by the Governor-General, who is the representative of the Queen on Canadian soil - the Queen being our titular head of government. Both sides presented their cases to her and she decided to go with Harper's idea of proroguing parliament until January. Which I personally am pissed off about but we'll see what happens.

The main reason for the coalition is really because a vote of no-confidence in the budget would force another election which we don't want to have to pay for, it being the second in three months and the third in two years. Note that out election process takes five weeks, from the announcing of the date to the actual voting. Something Americans might want to take a look at. Harper seems to want another election (which he can blame on Dion and Layton this time) while the others are trying to avoid one.

Anyway, suddenly it's all interesting.

[revid.livejournal.com]

OK, it's beginning to come together.

The notion that you can call an election whenever you want sounds funny to my ears, but I guess the flip side is that you can get your ass kicked to the curb at anytime too! So the prorogue has at least temporarily saved Harper's ass for a few weeks.

Is the GG's appointment a fixed term, or is it indefinite? Does she answer to anyone other than the Queen?

[revid.livejournal.com]

Thanks! That was quite helpful.

It must get pretty expensive calling elections whenever you want! I like the whole 5 week thing quite a bit though.

This is all quite fascinating. (And I mean that without the slightest hint of Schadenfreude.) It certainly emphasizes the differences between the different forms of government. I'm really interested in how it all turns out.

[mikeyface.livejournal.com]

Hey doll :) You lost me with the politics, but I'm just here to leave some love. :D

*SMOOCHES* :)

[revid.livejournal.com]

Leaving some love is always acceptable.

I'll be on line in a little bit if you are. :-)

[mikeyface.livejournal.com]

You got it, babe! :D ♥

[canis-takahari.livejournal.com]

It seems you've got lots of helpful explanations already, but I'm going to throw one more link at you because *I* also found it extremely helpful, and it's a very interesting read: What's Happening In Canada (http://yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2008/12/03/what_is_happening_in_canada.html).

Also - The Conversations can't form their own coalition because they've SO alienated the other parties that they wouldn't be able to join forces with enough seats. The Liberals, NDP, Bloc, and Green Party make up pretty much the entirety of the House, and even though the Bloc and the Green wouldn't be IN the coalition, they say they'd support it. Bad news for the Conservatives, which is why Harper went crying to the Governor General.

If Harper had actually been cooperative with the other parties, maybe they wouldn't be all gung-ho about joining forces against him.

Needless to say, I am not a fan of Harper.

[canis-takahari.livejournal.com]

CONVERSATIONS. Thank you, Firefox, for that amazing spellcheck.

[revid.livejournal.com]

That's a great link Helen, thank you!

Sounds like Harper is a "my way or the highway & fuck you" kind of leader. Sounds reeeeeeeelly familiar down here.

[tasyfa.livejournal.com]

*giggles* And I clearly should've kept my mouth shut that late at night (for me!) and waited for the teacher to explain... ;-)