Canadian Politics: Where's the Confidence?

Canada faces, as a reporter said on the news tonight, a "new and strange" situation in national politics. Something that distantly resembles a coup. The Conservative government, recently re-elected into a minority government, is facing a possible vote of no-confidence next Monday. The opposition parties, the Liberals, the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Quebecois, have joined forces to form a possible coalition government.

The fall from grace comes when the Conservative government unveiled their economic plan that featured a slash of 75% to the funding of all political parties, thus cutting their only source of funding since independent solicitation is not allowed. The economy was already a touchy subject, a bomb one cilia away from exploding, and this proved to be the last straw.

Originally I had confidence that Stephen Harper and the Conservatives could cautiously lead this country to stability amidst the unrest of a global economic crisis. I've been unconvinced, seeing our leaders confused over the course of action. We were originally told that we might run deficits in order to to help sustain our economy, supposedly one of the strongest ones in the world (according to the IMF) that would resist a recession. But recently Conservatives seemed to announce that a surplus would result for this year. Brace for the worst and give us the best? We don't want you to flash your smile and brown-nose us to get our approval, we want to see you work hard, explain things, and do what you have to in order to fix things and anchor us back to solidity.

I'd like to think we want a situation that unfolds much in the methodical and clear way that Obama rolls out his new government. Instead we have a squabbling house, a pathetic leader, and a pathetic coup of the current leadership. Nothing at the moment inspires confidence.

I would like to believe that a coalition government could help fix things. But how exactly would decisions be made under a coalition government? At a time of economic instability, political instability is the last thing that Canada needs. Canadians need to know exactly how things would work in terms of the balance of power. We need to have all the cards on the table: the platform for such a coalition government along with the concessions and agreements between the parties involved. The Liberal leader, Stephane Dion, (whose power was seriously questioned at the time of the last election and who will relinquish his leadership in May) leans heavily on the NDP and the Bloc for support. The NDP is feared to be a socialist stronghold while the Bloc feared as a separatism monger. WE AS CANADIANS NEED TO KNOW MORE.

Canadians need reassurance that those we elected on the Hill are thinking of our future as a country not just their future at its helm. How then would the logistics of decision-making under a coalition help or hinder our country?