Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Peace in our time

A deal has been reached! A summer election has been averted! Instead, Canadians will almost certainly be given the joy of a wildly popular November/December election!


Sources say Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff have finalized the details of an agreement that will preserve the Conservatives' minority government - for now.

Under the deal, the parties will each pick two members of a blue-ribbon panel to recommend changes to employment insurance, including coverage for self-employed workers and lower eligibility thresholds.

There will also be more opposition days for the Liberals, which will give them more chances to force a federal election in the fall.


Score this one as a major win for Ignatieff. Not only did he avert an election he likely would have won, but Harper agreed to take Ignatieff's only real issue (EI) off the table for the foreseeable future by appointing a blue ribbon panel to examine it. Because, after all, this issue certainly requires the sort of immediate action and attention that only appointing a commission to study it further can deliver!

OK, OK. On a serious note, while Iggy comes out of this mess looking a bit clumsy, getting the opposition days in the falls presumably gives the Liberals a fall election if they want it, and personally I think they'd fare better then than now.

So let's just all enjoy our summer and be glad our parliamentarians showed a relative degree of maturity for once.

24 Comments:

  • Not only does ignatieff look "clumsy", he looks like a man who doesn't believe in anything. If this was his one defining issue, why the hell would he let 6 people on a comitee decide it?

    By Anonymous Sean, at 11:20 a.m.  

  • Ignatieff looks to have guaranteed the Liberals a chance at a fall election (with the ability to more effectively use EI as an election issue**), so I call this a draw. with perhaps a slight advantage to Harper.

    **Currently, the Liberals are just following the "Coalition" position for an expensive new lax national standard. In the fall, Iggy will have the argument that he attempted to compromise on EI reform if the panel is divided or Harper rejects its recommendations. i.e. He will have separated the Liberals from the "Coalition" on EI.

    By Blogger whyshouldIsellyourwheat, at 11:37 a.m.  

  • And now, as part of the deal, Iggy gets an extra Opposition Day in September to go along with the probation report in November to pass judgement on this government

    So as it stands with the extra Opposition Day, Iggy gets to place Harper and the Tories on super duper, extra ultra probation.

    Iggy-Dithers III.

    By Anonymous Michael Harkov, at 11:38 a.m.  

  • If you surround yourself with Paul Martin's old staff, you have to expect you'll look like Paul Martin at his worst on occasion.

    Dithers III indeed.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:40 a.m.  

  • Well I am happy to enjoy the summer without an election.....

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:57 a.m.  

  • "If you surround yourself with Paul Martin's old staff, you have to expect you'll look like Paul Martin at his worst on occasion."

    Which Martin staffers are working for Iggy? If anything between Ashworth, Kinsella, Marzellini and Guy, it is all Chretien people working for him.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:13 p.m.  

  • This comment has been removed by the author.

    By Blogger Greg, at 12:18 p.m.  

  • We can't have an election in the fall. It is too cold and the kids have just gone back to school. Besides, the Liberals have not raised enough money and the Quebec organization still needs more work.

    The preceding was a sneak peek at Liberal talking points starting September 14.

    By Blogger Greg, at 12:19 p.m.  

  • Apparently, none of our Glorious Parliamentary Leaders took Civics 101 in high school.
    We little peasants out here elect a Parliament, NOT a government. After an election, MPs decide which party/parties will form the government.

    Should a government lose a confidence vote, there can be an election or...the leader of the next largest party can go to the GG and ask to form a new government (or a coalition).
    All constitutional, all legal, and no election necessary. But our "leaders" don't seem to know this, or are so Party-centric that they've forgotten, once again, about their primary duty of representing the electorate...ya know, the original purpose of Parliament when it was founded long ago. But I guess, they're no longer aware of that either, or they just don't give a shit about us (unless they are seeking our votes).

    Harper could be removed quickly, quietly and legally using the above method. No doubt the Great Master Strategist knows this and fears it, but the opposition and the GG appear to be abysmally ignorant of the basic functionings of our parliamentary system.

    Pretty f'n sad.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:20 p.m.  

  • So in other words, Iggy just added another opportunity for him to roll over at the end of September?

    I can't wait for him to agree to support Harper in exchange for even more report cards then.

    By Anonymous Deb, at 12:25 p.m.  

  • As I recall, Iggy had four points to discuss going into this meeting. EI was only one of them. What of the other three?

    By Blogger BriguyHFX, at 12:36 p.m.  

  • Not just another opportunity to roll over in the Fall, but one framed around EI. Iggy just agreed to play tic-tac-toe with Harper getting first move.

    It's a draw if the parties agree on EI reform by the Fall. Otherwise the next opposition day will be 100% about EI which is exactly the corner Harper painted Ignatieff into earlier this week.

    By Anonymous Michael, at 12:38 p.m.  

  • Iggy looks confused and the media is starting to turn on him . . his obama inspired honeymoon is over.

    even worse (or better, depending on your viewpoint) iggy just threw kinsella under the non-election bus by rejecting his guidance and pathetic urging to go to teh polls this summer.

    kinsella wanted an election because he needed one to prove to his multitude of enemies within the LPC that he "is back". Screw everything and everyone else, it is always about kinsella. He's just one of those classic "me, me, me . . . over here, look at me" kinda guys.

    That a summer election would be a disaster for iggy and totally unprepared for an election Liberal party means nothing to narcissists like kinsella. You can't translate a few points in the polls into votes without organization in the field and money, neither of which the Liberals have in place. Hell, they don't even have candidates in place.

    kinsella will always be a legend in his own mind a minor footnote in
    history, a footnote that will be forever in print in the Adscam scandal report that has neutered the once mighty LPC.

    kinsella can try and hide his involvement, but the testimony is in the Adscam report.

    kinsella . . . killing the Liberal Party of Canada, one self serving step at a time.


    Go warren go . . . we so hope you are successful.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:57 p.m.  

  • A poster at ITQ got Iggy dead to rights:

    "STOP! Or I will be forced to yell STOP again!" "

    By Anonymous Michael, at 1:26 p.m.  

  • Fred, your argument is a bit convoluted. You argue that Ignatieff's honeymoon is about to end, and tough times are a-coming for him because he through one of his advisors under the bus by disagreeing with him.

    At the same time you attack Kinsella and question his judgment in calling for a summer election.

    So, Ignatieff made a horrible decision for himself by avoiding a summer election, but is smart because he avoided the terrible advice of launching into a summer election.

    By Blogger french wedding cat, at 1:34 p.m.  

  • As if there was ever actually going to be an election - come on!


    I'm curious about the same aspects of Fred's post.

    By Anonymous Jason Bo Green, at 1:43 p.m.  

  • Well he had his Dion moment, that is for sure

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:29 p.m.  

  • "Well he had his Dion moment, that is for sure".

    No he didn't.

    Dion never opposed the substance of Harper's budgets or proposals, he opposed Harper himself. He never offered compromises that got turned down publicly.

    Dion would attack Harper and then cave on any confidence motion. Ignatieff has offered specific critiques of Harper, and given him specific areas where he would like Harper to act differently. Harper, in a weak position, is the one who has caved, albeit only a little.

    Ignatieff doesn't have to be PM to give Canada a Liberal government (which would look a lot like the present Tory one).

    PS: GO CONSERVABALS!

    By Blogger french wedding cat, at 4:37 p.m.  

  • An ironic title. I think my own illo says it all.

    By Blogger Dr.Dawg, at 7:48 p.m.  

  • Looking a bit clumsy? Are you ##$% serious? Pretty much every pundit and editorial page in Canada is this morning saying something like this:

    "Mr. Ignatieff, who seemed poised when he took over the Liberal leadership to bring a new seriousness to Ottawa's political discourse, has diminished his stature with his hollow threats."

    Your guy screwed up big time. I suspect the media honeymoon is over.

    By Blogger Sean Cummings, at 8:12 a.m.  

  • The honeymoon was over with the grassroots when his party supported mandatory minimums. Now even the polls reflect it was profoundly stupid.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:40 p.m.  

  • By Blogger Unknown, at 3:30 a.m.  

  • By Blogger raybanoutlet001, at 9:43 p.m.  

  • By Blogger 5689, at 9:43 p.m.  

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