No really, parliamentary politics. I just was reflecting today what a cute system of government it is. I'm not convinced that it's superior to the US's Republican model, but it is interesting.
I've always been impressed by the "Coalition-building" aspect of Parliamentary governments, which is really what got me thinking. I only get about 10 stations on TV because I only use a TV-mounted broadcast antenna. Being here in Detroit, 4 of those stations are Canadian, and so election coverage was the only thing I got to watch on those channels. In the recent election it was largely believed that the Liberal Party was in trouble, and bilingual issues were a big part of the campaign differences between the Liberals and Conservatives. So now the results have come in and the Liberals are still the largest represented, but are no longer a majority party, only a plurality. In many countries this would result in a coalition government.
There are only two other parties that could join a coalition, the New Democratic Party, which spent most of the election attacking the leader of the Liberals; and the Bloc Quebecois, a party representing Quebec sovereignty and independence. While it is visible enough in our own system, it is certainly true that parliamentary politics makes strange bedfellows.
It is unlikely that there will be a coalition government in Canada, however, as there is a tradition against it. It is more likely that what will result will be "minority government" which means that while the Liberals are still a minority, if they can get enough support in the House of Commons to elect their ministers then the government will proceed. However, the new minority government will have to proceed cautiously and constantly be compromising to satisfy other members in order to pass anything.
Of course, if the Liberals can't get Parliament to support them, then it will be back to the polls in a few months to try again. Perhaps a brand-new election will actually get people to vote. The voter-turnout trends in Canada have recently begun shadowing our own downward trends in the US. The official numbers put turnout at around 60%, which is a new all-time low in Canada. However, in an informal poll of 5 Canadians I work with I found voter turnout to be: 0%! That's pretty low. True, the sample size was low, but it seems like it means something. Also, turnout was only 43% in Nunavut, the Canadian Territory created in 1999 that I'll bet half of you have never heard of. (I didn't know it existed until last year.)
In any case, its kind of interesting to view some other countries messed up elections, especially coming from a position of total ignorance.
Posted by ktismael at June 29, 2004 6:50 PM