P is for Parliament

The Parliamentary process is basically simple.

Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings. It is part of the common law originating primarily in the practices of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from which it derives its name. At its heart is the rule of the majority with respect for the minority. Its object is to allow deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and to arrive at the sense or the will of the assembly upon these questions.

There has been a lot of debate, arguments and concerns regarding a possible coalition government but let us be clear. A Coalition government is a legal form of government and has been used in Canada both nationally and at the provincial level. A coalition government includes members of different political parties and normally appears during crises such as war or political breakdown.

· The fluidity of party lines, the predominance of patronage, and the novelty of responsible government led to several experimental coalition arrangements in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Canada in the 1840s and 1850s. The best known were in 1854 and 1864 (the GREAT COALITION) in the Province of Canada.

· At the national level, the only coalition has been Sir Robert BORDEN'S 1917 UNION GOVERNMENT. At the provincial level coalitions have occurred in western Canada. Manitoba Liberals and Progressives combined in 1931, and in 1940 all the province's parties joined a nonpartisan administration formed to meet wartime demands. In BC a wartime coalition between the Liberals and Conservatives held off the challenge of the CO-OPERATIVE COMMONWEALTH FEDERATION.

Watching the debate tonight it was clear that all parties are attempting to distance themselves from past attempts at a coalition government and a possible future coalition government. We feel that a coalition government could be an effective government for the country, particularly if it would avoid yet another election. Whether a government is elected as a minority and working with another party to stay in power, or whether the 3 with a lesser majority form a government to topple the “minority” government is simply semantics. Frequently governments are formed and yet the “popular” vote would have caused a different outcome.

While we don’t feel there were any clear winners in the debate Prime Minister Harper certainly was not effective with his constant denials of information that is already proved true to the public. It seems certain that Mr. Harper is not living in the real world and giving him a majority government will prove the real disaster for Canada. Mr. Ignatieff reiterated again and again that Harper and his government have been found in contempt of Parliament. Only imagine what may happen if he won a majority.