Sunday, November 30, 2008

Coalition Coalescing

The NDP and Liberals have reached a deal to topple the minority Conservative government and take power themselves in a coalition, CBC News has learned.

A deal has been negotiated between NDP Leader Jack Layton and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion that would see them form a coalition government for two and a half years, the CBC's Keith Boag reported, citing sources.

The NDP would be invited into cabinet and get 25 per cent of seats, Boag said, adding that the party wouldn't get the position of the finance chair or the deputy prime minister's post.

No word yet on which portfolios the NDP would get: Minister of Working Families? Minister of Results for People? Minister of Kitchen Table Issues?

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posted by calgarygrit at 10:22 p.m.

38 Comments:

  • I think one NDP MP who is almost certain to be in cabinet would be Linda Duncan, since she is the only non-Tory from Alberta and it is the only way for Alberta to have any cabinet representation at all. She would make a great Environment Minister

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:35 p.m.  

  • But apparently not Minister of Better Balanced Budgets.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:35 p.m.  

  • Let's be positive about it. The Liberals have performed poorly on some portfolios. Let the NDP guys have a go.

    By Blogger JimTan, at 10:36 p.m.  

  • Minister of What's Under That Sweater Vest?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:46 p.m.  

  • woooo hoooo. Nice. Canada's New new Government by Dec 8, 2008.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:48 p.m.  

  • Show no mercy!

    Ahem...

    As for NDP Cabinet (a lot depends on how many portfolios), the six most likely ministers:

    1. Jack Layton (duh)
    2. Thomas Mulcair
    3. Libby Davies
    4. Joe Comartin
    5. Judy Wasylyca-Leis
    6. Linda Duncan (the Siege Perilous, if ever there was one)

    After that, pick a few more from the Ontario and BC delegations.

    By Blogger IslandLiberal, at 10:49 p.m.  

  • Minister of Restorative Justice

    That one is begging for an NDP seat.

    By Blogger Raphael Alexander, at 10:57 p.m.  

  • Good NDP fits would be:

    Minister of Health
    Minister of Human Resources
    Minister of the Environment
    Minister of Aboriginal Affairs

    By Blogger James Bow, at 11:08 p.m.  

  • Other possibilities:

    Labour
    Agriculture
    International Cooperation
    Veterans Affairs
    Citizenship and Immigration (and Multiculturalism, under the current Mr. Kenney)
    Canadian Heritage

    By Blogger IslandLiberal, at 11:21 p.m.  

  • I have no recommendation for the minister, but I think we really need a Ministry of Mercilessly Taunting Harper.

    My more serious thought for the evening: Get Bill Casey on board.

    By Blogger Reality Bites, at 11:22 p.m.  

  • He'd be a big get, if he could be got (would be a clear rebuke to the idea that this is a radical government out to destroy everything).

    By Blogger IslandLiberal, at 11:30 p.m.  

  • I have no recommendation for the minister, but I think we really need a Ministry of Mercilessly Taunting Harper.

    Pat Martin; puppets galore!

    By Blogger IslandLiberal, at 11:31 p.m.  

  • Watch for Nathan Cullen, he'd be a good environment pick.

    By Blogger Jeff, at 11:47 p.m.  

  • One thing to consider is that the NDP has MPs in places where there are virtually no Liberal MPs - so some NDPers may end up in cabinet partly to give the new government geographic balance. For example, the NDP has MPs in Alberta, interior BC, northern Ontario, the Hamilton and Windsor areas - while the Liberals have none in those places.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:56 p.m.  

  • The left wing of the Liberal party is out in full support, Ignatieff distances himself...

    Right down the middle,Liberal lust for power can never be concealed for long.
    A man that 73% of canadians just rejected as PM could become PM. Perfect, Layton fucks the economy even worse and Liberals take the blame. You will be wiped out within two years.

    It will hurt as left wings idiots crash the economy but the result will be the destruction of the Liberals as a center right party.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:17 a.m.  

  • Update, Ingatieff and Harper cooked up this charade to expose the other leadership candidates naked ambition.

    Ignatieff realizes the Liberals need to rebuild preferably under his leadership, and spend some time in opposition, and is willing to cleave the Liberal party in half to weaken the left wing.

    He has done just this...Harper survives as blue flu hits the iggy libs and the govt survives

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:41 a.m.  

  • "The left wing of the Liberal party is out in full support, Ignatieff distances himself..."

    John Ivison reports that Ignatieff is set to be the Prime Minister, after meeting with Rae and Leblanc. I'm pretty sure he is onboard, and with him the centrist Liberals that might have balked.

    It looks like the intent is to drive to the centre-right. If the NDP is willing to accept Iggy as PM, however, they'll accept anything. This coalition may be more successful than I thought.

    By Blogger french wedding cat, at 12:43 a.m.  

  • Your sources are wrong, there is no proof Ignatieff is on board.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:48 a.m.  

  • If there was a way to bring Iggy on board it would be like this. For who can resist the allure of the PMO?

    By Blogger Raphael Alexander, at 12:50 a.m.  

  • Iggy knows a PM has to seek a mandate from the people to be legit. He wont do it.

    A PM without a mandate to govern is a footnote, why else would newly elected party leaders seek fresh mandates so soon after becoming PM?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:53 a.m.  

  • I think the real issue at this point is whether Ignatieff's resemblance to Jeremy Irons has some downsides:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28snhq40C8o

    (and hey I could have picked Lolita!)

    By Blogger french wedding cat, at 1:03 a.m.  

  • Harper will prorogue.

    By Blogger Gayle, at 1:08 a.m.  

  • The anti-environment, all-lies-all-the-time Liberals should give the Environment Portfolio to the NDP, who at least can claim not to have messed up anything federally.

    But, the anti-environment Liberals will of course do no such thing, and Canada will continue to do absolutely nothing on this file. Hurray for hypocracy!

    Environmentally, I doubt we'll see any change from the Harper days -- except maybe less action on toxins.

    Great.

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 1:09 a.m.  

  • Harper will muse about proroguing, and look at polls. If they are good enough, he will use the winter break to run something like an election campaign, appealing to the public to resist the coalition.

    By Blogger french wedding cat, at 1:10 a.m.  

  • I have 8 NDP as full cab mininisters...
    Layton is Health
    Chow Immigration
    Mulcair Enviro
    Davies Heritage
    Comartin Democr Reform
    Pat Martin Transport
    Judy Wasyl HRSD
    Linda Duncan in WED
    I think they will get 3 Parl Sec spots too in Industry/Forestry, FedNOR, and one other
    I also think Zarac, Coady, Fry, Dhalla, Bennett, Jennings, and Findlay will make it as lib cab mins.

    By Blogger kenlister1, at 1:17 a.m.  

  • 1) Read the transcript - Bill Casey is already on board.

    2) Somehow I don't find this quite as amusing as some of you guys. This IS going to happen.

    3) Gayle's right, Harper will prorogue. Nothing else to do.

    By Blogger jad, at 1:20 a.m.  

  • Ugh.... Jennings? I'd rather have Duceppe in Cabinet than that phony. Gross.

    The NDP in charge of Health and Democratic Reform and Enviro.... that could make up for Jennings. But only that could make up for Jennings!

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 1:27 a.m.  

  • 2) Somehow I don't find this quite as amusing as some of you guys. This IS going to happen.

    It won't be half as amusing if it doesn't!

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 1:28 a.m.  

  • Chow is not ministerial material - anybody who has seen her in impromptu settings knows that. Layton in health has some problems too - namely his use of private healthcare by his wife, justified by "nothing but the best for Olivia" (I agree, but uhh... not even the Tories admit that is there position). It is too bad his dissertation was unpublished, because it would almost certainly disqualify him from Industry.

    By Blogger french wedding cat, at 1:28 a.m.  

  • Ivison is saying that the Grits have cooked a deal whereby Dion steps down and Iggy takes the crown.

    Go Toronto Party!

    By Blogger Jay Currie, at 3:43 a.m.  

  • Dawn Black in Defense.
    She understands what's going on in Afghanistan.

    By Blogger Scanner, at 10:08 a.m.  

  • Minister of Strong Leadership?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:51 a.m.  

  • How about Minister of a North American Car in every driveway...ciao

    By Blogger Rositta, at 10:52 a.m.  

  • Well, what about the Bloc? Together the Libs and the NDP make up about 110 seats. What's the Bloc getting?

    And what the heck happened to the Liberal leadership race?

    By Blogger Alexander Soley, at 11:20 a.m.  

  • And what the heck happened to the Liberal leadership race?

    AGREED!

    Ignatieff should not become PM in this way, that's my main concern. Leadership candidates should wait until May, til then go with an interim leader or Dion, but not Ignatieff/Rae/leBlanc.

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 11:22 a.m.  

  • I think Ed Broadbent would make the perfect interim Liberal leader til the LPC convention in May.

    By Blogger Jacques Beau Vert, at 1:13 p.m.  

  • Nope, Stephane Dion will stay.... for now....

    Watch the cabinet to shrink, from Harper's bloated 37-person team to 24 or 25...

    NDP Ministers? I'll go with 6:

    Layton
    Mulcaire
    Duncan
    Comartin
    Judy W-Leis or perhaps Chow - though I don't see two Cabinet Ministers from one couple happening...
    Dawn Black

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:15 p.m.  

  • I'm surprised there hasn't been more talk of David Christopherson as a cabinet minister.

    He was Solicitor-General under Rae in Ontario, and has since had a good reputation as a pragmatist.

    By Blogger saphorr, at 11:49 a.m.  

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