Op-Ed: The Coalition Shakedown

In one of the most shameful gambits of Canadian political posturing, an alliance of Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois are shaking down the House of Commons to snatch power. They are doing this on a false pretext and have no credible provocation.

In forming a coalition, Jack Layton and Stephane Dion – with Gilles Duceppe’s Bloc ‘in support’ – have brought back the whole notion of ‘old-boy entitlement’ to Ottawa and it stinks of arrogance. Coup_____ (fill in your own blank) Many names are bandying about for this ridiculous power-grab: CoupScam, Coup d'etat, their commonality pointing to the illegitimacy of the operation. One hatched in a plan to seize power. Some pundits will point out this is constitutionally sound. Sound because we elect MPs to go to Ottawa and the party with the most seats forms a minority or majority government. So yes, political parties can band together to form coalitions in parliamentary democracy. (And coalitions in other countries rule all of the time, like Israel or Italy.) The difference being, this pretend legitimacy is birthed in lies. Opening moves The NewLibBloc party are saying Stephen Harper created this crisis and the coalition is a group of parachuting saviours. The truth is they are playing political games in grave times. There is no reason for opposition parties to lose confidence in the House of Commons (HoC) a handful of days after supporting the newly elected government in the throne speech. A lack of stimulus The main argument now is that there was no stimulus package and no action on the economy in the economic update. To state the obvious, it’s an economic update, not a budget. The stimulus package of $33 billion dollars – according to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty – is already in the bank and coming in January with the federal budget. However, the NewLibBloc said there was no stimulus package. Among the most vocal, Liberal MP Scott Brison, said the Conservatives didn’t bring a stimulus package to the table. When this lie wouldn’t hold-up, the NewLibBloc flip-flopped their indignation, saying that it was a lack of immediacy. Seeing an opportunity to take power, the ‘Show me the money!’ crowd promptly stomped their feet and began the poisonous tactics of lies and misrepresentation. Votes for cash The next opposition complaint, the one setting them off, was that the update included a provision to end the taxpayer subsidy of political parties. Brought in by Jean Chretien, parties get just under two bucks per vote from the taxpayers. The Conservatives were set to receive $10 million, the Liberals $7 million, the NDP $5 million, the BQ $2.8 million, and the Greens $940,000. This adds up to about $27 million and in Ottawa, this is table scraps. Here Mr Harper erred. He should not have included this provision. Mr Harper didn’t need to take away their chump change. This certainly ignited the issue, but it would not have brought about such a swift and immediate condemnation by the NewLibBloc (the Tories since offering removal) had they not had prior plans to form a coalition. The pathetically fake, righteous indignation bellowing from NewLibBloc make them look like screaming children throwing temper tantrums. And Mr Dion’s barbarous hysteria in the HoC is making him look a fool. These lies and false indignation belie the NewLibBloc’s statements as most Canadians agree the public purse should not fund political parties. They need to stand on their own. (The BQ, for example, barely has enough money to run a bus tour of Quebec, yet the taxpayer props up a party mandated to break up the country.) Here is the crux of CoupGate: it’s about unabashed entitlement the NewLibBloc demands in relation to power and the public purse. Even over a paltry $27 million, this shows how those parties are rife with entitlement and self-righteous indignation. What about fund-raising? If a party deserves to stand it should raise its own funds. Mr Dion’s new green shift and Quebec’s minority veto What are the BQ getting in this deal? Pauline Marois , campaigning for office in the Quebec provincial election, said Mr Duceppe is promised $1.2 billion extra in equalization payments. It seems Mr Dion gets his green shift after all – that is wealth from Western Canada. Now, Jacques Parizeau, the face of Quebec separatism, is in favour of the deal. He said, in the Journal de Montreal, he was delighted. Lawrence Cannon, MP for the Quebec riding of Pontiac, said on Mike Duffy Live on CTV the Bloc might also be getting six senate seats in addition to the cash for propping-up the coalition. As disconcerting as BQ senators may seem, it reinforces the Liberal entitlement ideology. Mr Harper is trying to bring about an elected senate. To these ends, he hasn’t appointed new senators, preferring senate reform. There are 18 openings in the senate and, if the NewLibBloc take power, they will fill the senate with cronies. The issue of senate reform will then be dead and entitlement with abound for another 20 years. A coalition government means the balance of power will lie in la belle province, with the BQ’s 50 seats in parliament, representing 1,379,565 votes. Mr Duceppe is happy about this and said, “I'm a sovereigntist. I think every gain we're making here is good for Quebec, and what's good for Quebec is good for a sovereign Quebec." There will also be a ‘permanent consultation mechanism’ in the new government, allowing the BQ in on every decision of national importance. Is this good for Canada? Absolutely not. Majority? A majority voted Conservative, about 38 per cent, but the majority of voters didn’t vote Liberal, NDP, or Bloc. It’s a mistake to think a majority voted NewLibBloc. From a rejection viewpoint, more voters rejected parties other than Conservative. (In 1997, Jean Chretien won a majority with 38 per cent.) If the NewLibBloc think they have a mandate, they should defeat the government. Then, in a new election, go the people with their new party. If the majority of Canadians (155 parliamentary seats worth – not necessarily 51 per cent of the popular vote) vote for the NewLibBloc, then they’ll have their mandate. End game Liberal politicos don’t care about Canada; they care about power. This comes from deep within the ranks of the Liberals who feel entitled to run the country. They get so outraged when voters reject them. Their ideology of entitlement is driving this vain power-grab. The NDP and BQ – with no chance at a whiff of hope for power – see this as their only chance to participate in a cobbled together government, and this is understandable. It is not time for irrational panic to rule Parliament Hill. It is not time for Messrs Dion, Layton, and Duceppe to be screaming in the HoC like animals. It’s time for calm, rational, deliberation and sober thought. It's time for the NewLibBloc to back down from their pretension and recognize they have erred, too. However, if the ill-gotten group succeeds, bring on the coalition. It will backfire. In the next election, probably early next year, (the electorate will demand it) angry voters will trounce the NewLibs at the polls and the country can focus on the future.