It would appear that every effort is being made in Ottawa by opposition parties to force a non-confidence vote in parliament, and allow their recently formed coalition to form a new government.
Ordinarily uninterested citizens are incensed by the prospect of their newly elected Conservative government being defeated so quickly. They view the deal-making of the opposition parties as sneaky, an almost covert way of achieving power. Citizens familiar with the British parliamentary system understand this manoeuvre, however ill-advised it is. Perhaps the most contemptible part of it is that ordinarily, the government is voted down, and then the Leader of the Official Opposition is invited by the Governor General to see if a coalition government can be formed. This time, the cart appears to be before the horse, since the vote of confidence has not been held, yet a coalition has been created.
There is plenty of blame to go around for this mess. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty are the architects of the problem, having pushed electoral finance reform onto parliament. Despite efforts to back off that position, showing a measure of compromise, the opposition leaders seem determined to push Harper from 24 Sussex Drive. Pettiness begets pettiness, it seems.
In the interest of the country, and a population struggling with the prospects of a full-blown recession, this is no time or place for the rolling of dice when it comes to leading Canada. While we understand the dynamics and don’t wish to think poorly of public servants, we find this whole episode very unbecoming – almost unbridled hunger for power at any cost.
We cannot help but question the authenticity of this coalition, particularly if it would have formed under any other circumstance than the prevailing government’s proposal to cut back on their potential electoral funds. There really is no interest like self-interest.
