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Stephen Harper, elected by only
37% of the voters, ignored the fact that he had not won a majority. Canadians
do not want Conservatives to have a majority, and they demonstrated that
on October 14th.
The democratic process is not being usurped by the opposition. The Conservative's
37% share of the vote did not make them the rulers of the land. It only
gave them the chance to lead Parliament for as long as they maintained the
confidence of the majority of the House. Stephen Harper and his team failed
on their first attempt.
A minority government needs to find support from the opposition if they
want to stay in power. This can only be achieved by consultation, compromise,
and cooperation. These attributes, understood and demonstrated by earlier
Progressive Conservatives, seem beyond the ability of Stephen Harper and
his Reform/Alliance Conservative team.
To be effective and stay in power, a minority leader needs to find common
goals with the opposition and work to achieve them. Unfortunately, the first
thing Harper's Conservatives did was to present an economic update that,
in the eyes of most MP's, ignored the desperate need for economic support
and stimulus for our ailing industries. Perversely, the Conservatives also
chose to deliberately antagonize the opposition with measures that were
clearly unacceptable to them. Either this was a miscalculation, incompetence,
or a deliberate effort to precipitate a crisis.
The majority of the members of Parliament have now joined together to try
to get things back on track. This coalition has agreed to put aside their
differences and work on the common concerns of all Canadians. This is the
proper exercise of democracy, with the majority of Parliament, representing
the majority of the people, working together for the common good. |