Ah, it’s fun times here in the Great White North and I find myself putting an oar in here and there about this whole minority government political crisis thingie. Just wanted to record my post somewhere other than on the forum originally posted before it gets completely buried…the original post this is an answer to is, of course, at the beginning of the thread (in case you’re wondering about the “poles” reference.
http://www.citizenvoices.gg.ca/en/forums/threads/420
First of all, lets agree that the spelling of the nickname for an election is “polls” not “poles”. We’re not going to Eastern Europe nor are we all engaged in an salacious exhibition of athletic prowess. Unless you are proposing a citizen’s uniform of a g-string and righteous indignation, it behooves you to spell properly lest your arguments be taken as, at best, specious and slap-dash or, at worst, a boiler-plate letter incompetently cloned to flood public forums in an attempt to appear as a groundswell of public opinion.
Secondly, parliament is supposed to be blind to party politics – even a party caucus is technically a coalition of elected representatives who choose to pull oars in the same direction. The party chooses a leader before the election is called and is not part of the process of a federal election. We cast our votes for a local representative to Parliament, not for the leader of a political party or for the Prime Minister.
Thirdly, the Honorable Mr. Harper himself attempted to form a coalition with the Bloc Quebecois 4 years ago and has, since assuming the mantle of Prime Minister, utilized Bloc votes to carry his agenda against the votes of the opposition parties. It is interesting to note he never referred to that party as “Separatists” when they were serving his interests.
Fourth, over 60% of the country did NOT vote for the Conservatives, for Mr. Harper or for the proposed budget he has yet to table. The majority is on the other side of the house and the reality is any government wishing to maintain power must take consultation with the opposition into account.
Fifth, and possibly most importantly, the opposition parties in Parliament also represent the people of Canada. They are not the enemy, a fifth column or some entity outside of the country. Every member who sits in Parliament does so as a servant of the Crown and with the approval of the citizens who elected that representative. That this basic premise of Parliamentary democracy has gone by the wayside is indicative of just how greatly the poison of Party polarization has infected our thinking.
Everyone has the right to think and say what they believe without being subjected to accusations of base motive. Regardless of what I may think of the tactics of the current conservative minority as they thrash about, attempting to wrap themselves in the flag, in a cowardly, self-serving display of patriotism, at least they are performing true to form: foisting the pretense of posturing and bullying upon the public as a substitute for genuine responsible government.