Canada Makes History

Canadians will be heading to the ballots this Spring. Wait… Didn’t I just hear that? As a result of a few things that have been going on for a few weeks now here in Canada, there will be a Spring election.

For the first time in Canadian history, a committee, or committee’s, of Parliament has found a government to be in contempt.

Early Friday afternoon, 156 opposition MP’s, consisting of the Liberals, New Democrats, and Bloquistes, rose to support a motion of no confidence. A motion of no-confidence basically means that those parties no longer have confidence in the Conservative government. They also declared the Conservative government be in contempt of Parliament for its refusal to share information that opposition members said they needed to assess legislation put before them.

Cameras saw Liberals throw papers in the air as Audrey O’Brian, the Commons’ clerk, read the results of a 156-145 vote. I’m sure the House of Commons’ janitor was not too thrilled about that.

But what cameras didn’t see, was members of opposition parties strutting across that green carpet to embrace each other. Well, these parties, these people, will soon become political nemesis’.

Before the vote took place, Stephen Harper, Canada’s Prime Minister, having the amount of class he does, shook hands with Michael Ignatieff, who has done nothing but bash our Prime Minister since his return to Canada.

Stephen Harper will be going to Rideau Hall on Saturday morning to visit Governor General David Johnston and “take the only course of action that remains.” That means he will be going to dissolve parliament, making it official that an election will take place.

Stephen Harper said that Canada’s economic turnaround will remain his priority. He also this: “Unfortunately, Mr. Ignatieff and his coalition partners in the NDP and Bloc Quebecois made it abundantly clear that they had already decided they wanted an election instead, Canada’s fourth election in seven years, an election Canadians told them clearly that they did not want.” he said. “Thus the vote today, which obviously disappoints me, and will, I suspect, disappoint most Canadians.”

Michael Ignatieff, however, had a different opinion. He said Stephen Harper confirmed his disrespect for democracy by speaking after the vote, but making no mention of the fact that his government had just been found in contempt of Parliament and taking no questions from reporters. “This tells you all you need to know about this man.” he said.

When Michael Ignatieff answered questions, he was asked again if he would form a coalition government with the NDP if Stephen Harper was returned with a minority. Like he always does, he danced around the question saying he was running to create a “Liberal government that respects democracy instead of having contempt for democracy.”

Since I am mentioning Michael Ignatieff in this article, I will go on record saying I do not support him, or the Liberal party. And to prove my point that he is unstable and should not even be the leader of a Canadian party, I will remind you of some of the things Ignatieff has said. On June 17, 2004, in an interview with ASPAN Michael Ignatieff called America his ‘country’. He told CBC Radio on September 16, 2001, “I love the republic I live in.” He also said, “If I am not elected, I imagine I will ask Harvard to let me back.” to the Harvard Crimson on November 30, 2005.

Of course, Michael Ignatieff and Stephen Harper were not the only party leaders to speak out on Friday. Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe said “the Conservative government has not represented the values and interests of Quebekers.” Wait, he said that? Well apparently Monteal’ers are apathetic over the impending election call.

When asked if he would be willing to form a coalition, Jack Layton, NDP Leader, reminded reporters that Stephen Harper asked him to meet in 2004 about forming a coalition to replace then Liberal PM Paul Martin. Jack Layton said Stephen Harper lost power because he has clearly demonstrated that he is not willing to work with other parties in the House Of Commons. “He made his choice,” he said, “and that was to take us into an election.”

On a high note, in the final moments of the Conservative government, there was many kind words of praise offered to Peter Miliken, who, after a decade in the Speaker’s chair, was presiding over his last session before his retirement.

Michael Ignatieff said, “For four months, this House and the Canadian people were being stonewalled by this government and they are being stonewalled still.”

In response, Government Whip Gordon O’Connor was very forward and blunt in his assessment of the opposition. “When, during an election, a matter of ethics comes up, I would expect the Liberal candidates to put bags on their heads.”

Of the Bloc, he said it “basically has no function. They have no purpose. They are nothing.”

With the NDP, Gordon O’Connor said “there is drama, screaming, yelling, outrage. It voted against seniors… All I ever hear from its members is talk, talk, talk.”

The Federal Election will take place on either May 2 or May 9.