Long live the junta! Liberals and NDP plot to seize power, replace Harper
Posted: November 28, 2008, 12:35 PM by Kelly McParland
Even with all my powers of political mockery, I’m not sure I have the resources needed to adequately deride the notion of a coalition government toppling Stephen Harper and installing a Liberal prime minister in his place.
I’m going to try, but if I lack the vocabulary you’ll have to bear with me. I’ve sent off an emergency e-mail to Conrad Black in hopes he can furnish some sufficiently insulting terminology, but I’m not sure how often the prison goons let him at his computer.
So let’s begin. Is there in fact a putsch in the making? Hilarious as it may sound, there do appear to be discussions underway.
Don Martin reported Thursday night that Jean Chretien had been hauled out of mothballs and delegated to broker a deal to get rid of Stephane Dion and put Michael Ignatieff or Bob Rae in his place. Canadian Press and other newspapers are saying Ed Broadbent has similarly been thawed out to negotiate on the NDP’s behalf. The CBC quoted sources close to Chretien as denying it all, but that just proves Chretien’s camp hasn’t lost the ability to fib with a straight face.
So what’s the deal going to be? Reports are all over the place, but everyone seems to agree none of the opposition parties is willing to serve under Mr. Dion. According to La Presse, Gilles Duceppe might be unwilling to serve under anyone (except possibly himself). That would seem to put paid to the coalition, but let’s not give up yet, or we'll spoil all the fun.
Who would lead the coalition, then? Through the mysterious process under which Ottawa’s press pack works, everyone has simultaneously reached the conclusion that it will have to be Michael Ignatieff. This is presumably based on the fact that, thus far in the leadership competition, the Liberal caucus seems to have more Ignatieffites than it does Raeites. It ignores Mr. Rae’s ego and the likelihood he didn’t get back into politics to play second fiddle to his old college room-mate. It likewise fails to account for the fact that, of the two, only Mr. Rae has ever run a party or led one through an election, a not-inconsiderable factor given the mess the Liberals are in and the fact they’d be going into an election without time to prepare a battle plan, organize a platform or raise any money. And, one other issue: Jean Chretien is known to be somewhat close to Power Corp; Bob Rae’s brother John is a senior executive at Power Corp., an ally of Chretien and an advisor and organizer for his brother. Not that blood ties or long-term political allegiances would ever come into it. Of course not.
But let’s say Ignatieff gets the nod. What’s he going to lead? A coalition including the NDP and the Bloc, either of which could team with the Tories at any moment to bring down the other two. So you have an inexperienced Liberal prime minister, trying to steer the country through the worst financial crisis in 70 years, while beholden to the separatists on a day to day basis just to survive. Oh yeah, that’ll work. Oh, and it will be popular with voters too. You bet.
And what would the justification be? Having entered into the spirit of make-believe pioneered by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s fiscal update -- which pulled numbers out of the air to support the contention that Canada might not be headed for recession -- the opposition have all agreed to pretend that the battle royal under way in Ottawa is all about the economy, and not about Harper putting a stop to public financing for political parties.
“This is not a stimulus package to kick-start the ailing Canadian economy. It is a failure for Canadians who need immediate and bold action,” NDP leader Jack Layton thundered. “There is nothing in today’s announcement that will create jobs, assist those thrown out of work or bolster consumer confidence.”
Right. And there shouldn’t be. Canada’s economy is a tenth the size of the U.S. A new, free-spending president is crafting a stimulus package in the range of $500-$800 billion, to be delivered immediately after he takes office on Jan. 20. For Ottawa to start throwing billions around without knowing what’s in that package would be irresponsible; $10 billion or $20 billion might be a lot for us, but it could quickly be rendered redundant by whatever Barack Obama unveils. Waiting is the right thing to do. For the opposition to claim otherwise, and defeat the Harper government on that basis, is either dishonest, or inept. I’m betting dishonest on the part of the Liberals, inept on the part of the NDP.
This is about party funding. Harper started the whole thing, softening up the opposition by publicly pleading for their co-operation in saving the economy, than ambushing them with his plan to shut off their access to millions of dollars in taxpayer funding. Now the opposition has joined enthusiastically in the fray. Nothing galvanizes politicians like a threat to their own interests, and while the Liberals might have grumbled a bit and approved Mr. Flaherty’s plans for the economy, they’re willing to throw the country into chaos to preserve their access to the public purse.
