As Canada faces one of it greatest political debates Michaelle Jean has been gone from ceremonial figurehead to a person charged with shaping the nature of democracy in our country.
While we already know what she chose to do, the debate continues to rage across Canada as Canadians look for the "right" and "best" solution to a complex political situation. So based on your knowledge of our political system and your own personal beliefs about the role of government and democracy what do you think Michealle Jean should have done. Remember to provide justification for your decision as you you will have to justify your decision to the Canadian people.
Click here if you want to see Rick Mercer's take on the situation.... Rick Mercer Rant
17 comments:
First off, I am glad to see that the Governor General is doing more than simply being a figure head. That can silence those who oppose having one.
I believe that she should have let the coalition hold a vote of non-confidence. If you add up the popular vote of the combined parties in the coalition, you get 54.42%, which is much higher than the Conservative's 37.65%. The coalition would be effective because they have laid out a plan to move our nation forward through hard economic times, and they would be a majority party. This may be unpopular among many people, but they will probably find that this government is more effective than Harper's minority government. And those who aren't happy can use their power as voters to select a new Prime Minister in the next federal election.
Personally, I'm all for the coalition, because the NDP is awesome. 'Nuff said.
M.E. - Block A.
I believe Michaelle Jean should have supported the coalition government. Our entire system of government is based on the policy that the Party with the majority should lead. Stephen Harper does not represent the majority, so why is he our Prime Minister? (Personally, the way we vote is skewed, but that's another story)
The coalition has promised a stimulus package that will help us through the recession. They will also represent the majority of the people.
If I was Michaelle Jean, allowing Harper to wiggle his way out of losing power would be the last thing I'd do. I mean, do we really want a hypocrite in power? He's saying Dion is wrong for forming a coaliton with the Bloc, but that's exactly what he tried to do in teh past.
The GG's decision is only delaying the inevitable.
JG, Block A
Totally agree with Mike that finally Michaelle is doing more than collecting a cheque and going to parties. I think she should have supported the coalition, not just because I really want Dion to be Prime Minister for a little bit, but the coalition forms a majority of the government which is good so we can actually get some things done in this country. Its good that the government would have formed a majority of what the voters wanted. Without letting things just go as they were going too, it is undemocratic and is something so Harper can keep what power he has. That and I really dont like Harper and a complete Liberal/Dion supporter.
MB
Block A
I believe that Michaelle Jean did the right thing by suspending parliament until January when Harper can give his proposed budget. Since we just had a federal election, obviously the majority of Canadians feel that the conservatives should be the ones to run our country. Also, with the coalition being formed right after they decided they didn't like what Harper was proposing to do with the budget, it all seems a little childish to me. The Liberals and NDP decide they don't like what Harper is doing so they agree to fight back and form a coalition. I believe that Canada would be better off with the Conservatives staying in power.
B.P - Block A
Just recently we had a federal election and the conservative party was voted in as our leaders. Is it fair that now, the losing parties, with completely different views on governing Canada can team up and be our official representatives? We our now in an economic crisis and stuff like this is happening in politics, this is the last thing we want. The Bloc who is only voted in by people of Quebec, is more concerned about separating from Canada then fixing economic problems, And the liberal party who was not voted in as the leaders, in the first place. I think this is a ridiculous rule, and if you lose an election then you lose an election and there should be no way around this. This should be an easy decision for the Governor General especially at a time like this.
RM
i really dont care about who is prime minister, it minimally effects me like higher taxes(now i have to pay $0 instead of $0) or massive layoffs(no ill b layed off of unimployment).... but i think she shouldnt stop govt or else something like all the cops going on strike or all doctors go on strike they cant do anything and all the ppl are seriously f***ed. we'll have psychos running around killing everyone with no one about to stop them or have any plans to stop them for 2 months.
JK....block a? isnt there only one class on this blog.....next 10 ppl to say block a are out to destroy canada....wahahahaha
To be honest, I don't really care what the government does. Even if Michaelle Jean did suspend parliament, I don't think that will change the Bloc Quebecois, NDP, and the Liberals point of view, even if Harper does come up with a plan. They'll just make an excuse that it's not in Canada's best interest or whatever, and we'll be back to square one: voting all over again. Michaelle Jean's decision only delays the inevitable. I'm sure that the coalition won't let anything step in it's way. They'll get what they want eventually. It wouldn't surprise me if Harper bribed the G.G. to make the decision she made. People can do crazy things when they're desperate, and Harper definately wants to stay in power. Big political leaders have had a reputation (mostly) for being involved in schemes that surprise ALOT of people. (Wouldn't it be funny if I was actually right? Hahaha!!) Sure, it surprised me that our government is having a war with itself. You don't get to see this that often in Canada. But if there's something important going on that the government needs to talk about, nothing will get done. And who knows, maybe this one decision will be the downfall of Canadian government, turning our country into chaos. And like Mr. Lewis said, the U.S. will probably be our "savior". But who knows, eh? Guess we'll just have to wait and see. (My dad, on the other hand, has his own personal opinion. He likes Harper. But when I saw Harper talking on the news, he reminded me of a younger version of Bush.... O_o maybe we're all in trouble.... HAHAHA!!!!)
Paulina
Block A
PS: I must be out to destroy Canada.. =P
To be honest I'm not so sure what I think. I personally don't agree with the coalition. I did because then we'd finally have a majority government, but when I was talking to my parents about it, they said something that made me change my mind. They basically told me that they made the colaition for the wrong reasons. When three people, who hate each other, who have nothing in common, get together JUST to get revenge or because they hate someone else, then I'm sorry but that's a wrong reason to make a coalition. And second of all, a colation is NOT what we voted. Isn't the point of a democratic government to vote for what we want? That it's for the people? We didn't vote that colation government in so why in the world would the government just decide that that's the best thing for us? Now I'm not happy with the conservatives and having a minority government but I don't think the colation would be a good thing. On the other hand, I'm not too happy with what Michelle Jean did. Hence why I'm undecided as to what I think of the whole situation. I don't think a parliament suspension came at the right time. I was reading on the internet the other day that we just had our 100th killing in Afghanistan. If something happens and whoever just starts bombing Afghanistan, we can't pull our troops out because we have no government. Not to mention the fact that our economy is in recession. In my opinion, with the way we're going, we're going to go into another Depression. But that's not the point. I'm kind of undecided. There are pros and cons to everything and right now, I haven't found something that makes me choose a side. Sorry Mr. Lewis =( Hope you don't mind =)
-- PD Block A
I think that Michaelle Jean did the right thing by suspending parliament until Harper can fix his mess and create a new budget because I don't think Canadians want another Christmas election. I also think that the coalition would be an unstable government because the liberals and NDP have to include the bloc in the coalition to make a majority. Even if the bloc promised to be stable and not try any actions of separation for 18 months i'm sure all Canadians have learned that politicians can't be trusted and if they thought about that then they wouldn't want the coalition to go through either. If Harper's coalition with the bloc didn't work then why would it work with liberals or NDP.
I think each party is just as incapable of running as the other but Harper did win the election and taking money away from politicians so our taxes can be lower doesn't seem to be a bad idea to me.
B.H.
Here is my opinion:
1. The conservatives are a plague of ignorant and authoritarian fools who, without logical justification, believe they have the right to rule exclusively, and who must be exterminated for the betterment of Canada as a whole.
2. The coalition is just that - a combination of parties. Together, both the popular vote and percentage of attained seats for the member parties of the proposed coalition forms a majority, i.e. more than 50%. Thinking within mathematical bounds, one is forced to conclude that if these parties mutually agree to combine their body into one component, then the Canadian constitution dictates that this new body holds majority power.
3. The process by which the coalition parties may form a majority force can be either opaque or transparent. That is, these parties may choose to declare themselves a "coalition", giving them privilege to replace both the PM and cabinet, or these parties may choose to meet privately and vote between themselves on every piece of legislation to enter the house. An example implementation would be the proposition of a bill by the opposition. If the NDP, Bloc Quebecois, Liberals, and independents had all mutually agreed to vote positively on this bill beforehand, then the "coalition" parties would yield deciding power regardless of the official status of the opposition parties.
4. As demonstrated, the conservatives keep their minority power, 46% of seats, without regard to the outcome of the governor general's decision.
Conservatism and related ideals are the cause of much suffering in our world, and the conservative disease needs to be cured; its proponents destroyed. If I was not occupied with school and my other lifelong interests, my life's purpose would certainly be to eliminate the conservatives. Hopefully, the sixth international will be more successful than its predecessors :).
In my opinion, the idea of coalition government doesn't fit into Canadian governing system.
Simply joining the parties to have a majority government doesn't make any sense. Canadian citizens voted for the conservatives to be our leader and now the government is trying to ignore what we've voted and do whatever they feel like doing. Also, I totally agree with what Michelle Jean did, suspending of the parliament until January when Harper is supposed to give his proposed budget. Untill then, he is the one who is supposed to be in charge of our government, not the coalition governmnet. I think it would be better to wait 'til next year, when Harper comes up with some solutions and other stuff that can actually deal with our economy crisis..
AC Block A
I think the Governor General should have let the coalition proceed. The three parties making up the coalition are representing the majority of Canadian voters. They have outlined a new and effective plan for the economy. Harper's idea of party funding is unfair and puts small parties, such as the Green Party, at a disadvantage. I think the coalition is also a good compromise for the first-past-the-post system that we have.
The decision to suspend parliament was a bad idea. It puts a big delay on what may just happen again.
I Think Michaelle Jean should have supported the coalition because then we would have had more ideas to get things done in Canada.
But I also think this whole situation is not going to be a good experience for Canada becuase it shows the whole world how unstable our government is.
We as Canadians should have done our part and voted someone into power that could do some good for Canada. But then again maybe Harper is just getting started becuase we only just had an election. And maybe the Liberals and ndp are just being sore losers and should just accept that they lost.
Personally I think Harper just isn't doing his job. So I guess I agree with the Governor General's decision.
LS
Michaelle Jean is finally having to work. instead of sitting there at pretty parties, she actually has to use her 'ceremonial' powers and make a decision that is affecting the entire Canadian population. We just had an election so her decision shoudn't be that hard. Canada is a democracy and we DID NOT vote in Dion and his farce of a coalition. If he comes to power, Canada will be destroyed. I agree however with her decision about suspending parliament, because if she gets to stressed, she might not be able to attend those late social events... God forbid. Our fate as a 'democratic' nation rests in the hands of a over paid party goer.
In my opinion, Michaelle Jean made the right choice. If we as the Canadian people wanted Dion to be Prime Minister, he would have been voted in. By trying to create a coalition just over a month after a general election was held, he is betraying Canada's choice. Personally I didn’t want Dion and his party to run Canada in the first place, now after he has done this, I really disagree with his ideas. I am glad that Michaelle Jean made a good choice in this politically important decision.
Well Im glad that Michaelle Jean suspended the gouvernment like she did but it would have made a lot more sense if Dion would have just stayed true to the Canadian political voting system. Like what happened to our national anthem, "True patriot love..." like wheres the love these days? :O
if the people in Canada wanted dion to be the Prime minister they would have voted for him, i think he's just being childish and jealous of Harper, maybe he's one of those crazy ppl you hear about and he just wants all the power and he's willing to do anything to get it, but it sure as hell back-fired on him. now he really screwed up and he should feel ashamed of himself, and if he doesn't then he is deffinately a horrible person, and he should NEVER be allowed back in Canadian politics. Michaelle Jean made a good decision by suspending government, its not the best thing in the world cause now its like we belong to the Green party, where everyone is runninig around with no one in charge and no order, thats the way i see it anyways. But he screwed up the Liberal party royally, now he finally stepped down and thats a good thing but now the Liberals have a new guy in there and no one knows who he is and so now whos gunna vote for him? This is not the time for something like this, especially when we're starting to got into a depression. I bet dion just did this so it'll really screw up Canada's economy and then it'll get outta control then it'll look like Harper screwed up then no one will vote for the Conservatives again , thats my theory;)
So,long story short, I really obviously don't like dion, l;kike at first i didnt like bush but he doesnt control my life and the ppl around me, dion could have. And i think that all the other political leaders should stop acting like this just because they didn't win the election.
DC!!!
:D
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