Drama in Ottawa

As many other Canadian bloggers have done this week, I felt the need to blog it up a bit concerning all the hoopla surrounding the proposed coalition. Allow me to break it down for you, in my most educated cowgirl speak...

The Coalition Parties

Let’s start with Stephane Dion. Why oh why would the Liberals elect this man to lead their party? During the federal election, my support for the Liberals was lost due to his condescending tone and angry demeanor. Why must he behave like such a whiney bitch? Sore loser, that’s why. His national address, which clearly displayed Dion at his finest, arrived 1 hour late and was out of focus. When President Bush makes an address to the US there’s catchy music, top of the line production and a flashy back drop. You almost expect some dancing girls to pop out behind him. Not here in Canada folks. Instead, Dion resorted to something that resembled that of an amateur youtube video. Nice work. Can we bring back Jean Chretien please?

Enter Jack Layton, leader of the NDP Party and Dion’s new BFF. It appears that Layton is taking the reins on this one, placing Dion in his shadow. At least he speaks English. Just a tip Layton, lose the porn stash.

Next up, the Bloc. Can’t we just give these folks ownership of an island in the arctic archipelago? If they want to separate so badly, why stop them? Aller mes amis. However, don’t think you’ll be leaving with the largest province in the country, placing a hole in the heart of Canada. Put your parkas on and relocate.

Although not officially part of the coalition, the Greenies have expressed their support. I quite like the idea of the Green Party assuming a few seats in the house. These folks aren’t exactly capable of balancing a federal budget, but I think they have a place in parliament in terms of raising awareness on the subject of sustainability and the environment. Go green.

Our PM

During Stephen Harper’s national address, he had the opportunity to level with the Canadian public and focus on what’s best for Canada. However, he blew it by using his prime time TV spot to campaign for his party, and further campaign for his job. He repeatedly says that he want to ‘focus on what’s best for Canadians’, yet he’s not exactly playing by this principle. By the way, where are his PR people? Harper comes across far too stuffy. Just because you’re the leader of the Conservative Party, doesn’t mean you have to dress so conservatively. You’re the Prime Minister for god sake, invest in a nice suit...but not too spanky, we’re in a recession,


Have the conversation

If nothing else, the proposed coalition has sparked dialogue regarding our political system and hopefully inspired people to learn a bit more about proportional representation (myself included). What would be the impact of a coalition government on the Canadian electoral system? Seemingly, a coalition government is a truly proportional representation of the people but can anything really be accomplished? This is what we should be asking ourselves possums.

It also raises the question; is a pluralistic system like we currently have the best option for Canada? Where disproportional seat distribution results from the division of voters into multiple electoral districts, creating a winner takes all system. As one friend put it; “the Conservatives represent 35% of the house, so that means 65% of the votes didn’t count...so why vote?”

Thankfully the Gov General has postponed parliament until the Conservatives present their budget in January. Given the shaky economy, is this really the best time to be experimenting with democracy anyway? After all, it is the holidays. Perhaps our political leaders should kick back and enjoy some rum and eggnog.