Harper Government is lying again. In 2004, Stephen Harper clearly asked for a chance at a coalition government led by himself. The letter he and his coalition sent is shown below and is on the public record.
"As leaders of the opposition parties, we are well aware that, given the Liberal minority government, you could be asked by the Prime Minister to dissolve the 38th Parliament at any time should the House of Commons fail to support some part of the government’s program. We respectfully point out that the opposition parties, who together constitute a majority in the House, have been in close consultation. We believe that, should a request for dissolution arise this should give you cause, as constitutional practice has determined, to consult the opposition leaders and consider all of your options before exercising your constitutional authority. Your attention to this matter is appreciated."
-From a letter to then-Governor General Adrienne Clarkson signed by all three opposition leaders: Gilles Duceppe, Jack Layton and Stephen Harper (September 9, 2004)
Everyone knows what the letter is asking for, why it was sent to the Governor General, why all three opposition parties signed it. During that period, Harper repeated this offer in interviews with the CBC and other outlets. It was acceptable for Harper to ask for a chance to form a coalition government but not for anyone else. Harper actually shutdown parliament when someone tried to do the exact same thing he tried in 2004. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with a coalition government and in attacking it, Stephen Harper is not only being hypocritical but is attacking our democratic foundation as well.
In a parliamentary government, unless you have a majority, your government is a coalition. It's only the degree of formality and extent that's up for debate. A minority government is a coalition government. If we had had a solid formal coalition then we wouldn't have needed four elections in the last seven years. We could have saved at least five hundred million dollars (low end cost for two elections), Furthermore, we would have had better representation if two or three parties were actively involved in developing and implementing government policy.
The Liberal Party and NDP should not let Harper Government re-write history or undermine our democratic options. Coalitions are legitimate and it should be explored if Canadians return another minority government because Canadians would then have clearly stated that they do not trust any party with a majority.
COALITION GOVERNMENT WOULD SAVE MONEY & BETTER REPRESENT CANADIANS, Louis Evan Palmer, The Way It Can Be, twicb.blogspot.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright 2011 Louis Evan Palmer lives in Ontario Canada. His short stories have appeared in numerous publications.
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