Coalition is not a Dirty Word, Steve.

Canada is going to have a federal election, and why exactly? For the last several years we have had a Conservative minority government. It looks like we are going to get another one. But wait! I see a strategy forming here on the part of the Conservatives, led by Stephen Harper, to consolidate his position by making sure that no coalitions can ever form against him. To do that, he is spreading the message that coalitions are un-Canadian, that they would undermine everything that we hold dear, that they would destroy motherhood, apple pie, and the pursuit of happiness. Sorry, I'm taking that a bit too far up the backside of America. But for sure, Stephen wants us to think coalitions are bad.

Nobody would ever form a coalition with the Conservatives anyway, and not because Stephen didn't try. It's because the Conservatives are the only right wing American corporate/religious based party in Canada. All four other parties are busy splitting the left wing moderate vote.

On the other hand, a good solid coalition could defeat the Conservatives. So it's best for the Conservatives to spread the idea that coalitions are unfair and treasonous.

Now we come to the part that I find very frustrating. Liberal leader Ignatieff decided to counter this tactic by declaring that he would never seek a coalition, and repeated it very loudly in a "read my lips" kind of tone. I consider this to be a blunder, especially since almost half of Canadian voters now think Ignatieff is lying. In baseball, this is called an "unforced error". I don't think that even Stephen expected this good luck to fall in his lap.

In my opinion, as well as the opinion of the majority of Quebecers, coalitions are good for the country, not bad for the country. They are part of our heritage and tradition. It is the American two-party system that loathes a coalition, not the Canadian multi-party parliament.

Ignatieff did not need to say a thing about a coalition, although I suppose he could have stated that it was part of Canada's tradition, and that he was not presently interested in one. And then explained why Harper was so scared of coalitions, and moved on to why we should vote Liberal.

Picture: From this blog "Proroguing Parliament and Conservative Crime Legislation: A Cagey Stephen Harper Takes Two Steps Back" at Informedvote.ca