WhatFinger


Michael Ignatieff is now saying he is prepared to talk to both about forming a government in the event the Conservatives do not win a majority?

Liberals must tell voters how their coalition would work



Well, well, well. Isn’t it telling that just after a few weeks of staunchly denying he had any intention whatsoever of climbing between the sheets with the separatist Bloc Quebecois and the New Democratic Party, Michael Ignatieff is now saying he is prepared to talk to both about forming a government in the event the Conservatives do not win a majority?

Support Canada Free Press


At the heart of this turnaround is that Ignatieff and the Liberals are merely admitting publicly what they have known all along; they cannot win this election. I predicted in my last column that Ignatieff would leap at the chance to join the separatists and the NDP in a coalition government the day after the election. This now puts Ignatieff’s Liberals in the unenviable position of having to explain to Canadians just how such an unholy alliance will work. In other words, who will do what to whom? No doubt the Bloc will have more seats than the NDP. In the last Parliament the Conservatives had 143 seats, the Liberals 77, the Bloc 47 and the NDP had 36. Under the separatist, Liberal, NDP ménage a trois, the Bloc would have more power than the NDP. To further explain, the Bloc would be the king maker. That being the case, they could demand all manner of concessions. Imagine Gilles Duceppe as foreign affairs minister or some other separatist appointed finance minister. I guess there would be a new NHL level arena built in every separatist riding in Quebec. Of course I am being facetious but the fact is the BQ would have more opportunity at mischief-making in the country than ever before. They would have more power to destabilize the economy, create uncertainty in financial markets making investors reluctant to do business in Canada and help convince foreign governments that Canada is about to implode. Meanwhile, the Globe and Mail columnist, Neil Reynolds, today (April 20) posed an interesting scenario in which separatist leader Gilles Duceppe could become our next Prime Minister if the deck is shuffled with the right cards tumbling out. Reynolds’ scenario did not appear to be tongue-in-cheek as he laid out how, under our muddled system of government, such a thing could happen. Scary prospect or what? If this turn of events became reality, I am sure Jack Layton’s NDP and the Conservatives move to stop it. You think? Still, I’m glad the G&M is taking this issue seriously. Maybe a few other reticent media outlets will follow suit. Even without Reynolds’ scenario coming to fruition, the damage to our reputation and stability would take a hard hit. The rest of the world would be wondering what kind of country we have forged here when people who would be considered traitors in other nations have managed to reach such levels of power? I’m not sure that is how a democracy is supposed to work. But, alas, the Liberals and NDP seem to be okay with it. And yet, I must admit I do not have the depth of knowledge of parliamentary procedures or constitutional matters to say for a certainty whether such events could actually transpire. What I do know is that I don’t understand how two supposedly rational, thoughtful Canadians like Ignatieff and Layton could attempt to rule with those who would destroy the country especially after being rebuffed by voters. I’ll just have to blame it on politics.


View Comments

Bill McIntyre -- Bio and Archives

Bill now devotes his time to his media/communications consulting firm while fighting for time to pursue freelance writing assignments, promote television projects and create the odd movie script.


Sponsored