Reply #10: but that's how all minority govts work here [View All]

[iverglas]

We don't have "coalition" governments. The party with a plurality -- the most seats, but fewer than a minority -- forms the govt, and the executive (prime minister and cabinet) are drawn from that party.

In an actual coalition, other parties get Cabinet portfolios, for example.

Here, the whole thing just trundles along on a vote-by-vote basis. The party in power has to be sure that whatever legislative initiative it introduces, it will get enough support from some other party, or some members of some other parties, to pass.

If that fails to happen, and if the initiative in question is sufficiently important that a vote against it is considered a non-confidence vote (i.e., in particular, a budget), the govt has to tender its resignation, by convention.

Some other party that thinks it could stay afloat would then have the option of seeking the Governor General's approval for forming a govt.

The BQ will vote in Quebec's interests, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't vote according to philosophical beliefs. While there is certainly a right-wing bent to much of sovereignist politics, Quebec overall is more social-democrat than most of the rest of Canada. The BQ could be expected to vote "left" on national issues, such as participation in the Iraqi adventure, which it opposes, and abolishing the firearms registry (it has said it will not support any party that attempted to do that).


Anyhow, I expect a Liberal minority govt, with the Liberals then having to keep us NDPers sweet.

What would be really fun would be if the Liberals got fewer seats than the Conservatives, but expected to be able to govern with NDP support. Technically, they could then just keep on governing as if there had been no election, without even having to go through the formality of approaching the Governor General to form a new govt. That could go on unless and until a non-confidence vote occurred. It wouldn't likely look very good, but it would save the time and expense of letting the Conservatives get all set up and then voted out as soon as the House sat.

DUers will probably know the outcome before me, although I'd certainly hope that I'm not the only one here who will be toiling away in a polling station on behalf of the local NDP candidate until the votes are counted (or out on the streets pulling the vote until the doors are locked). Anybody else?