Test the Coalition: Call an Election

Talk has surfaced about defeating the Conservative minority government in a confidence-vote on Monday. Stephane Dion (L-Saint Laurent-Cartierville, QC) has announced a deal in which he would form a coalition government with the NDP and Bloc Quebecois, with Mr. Dion as Prime Minister. While this move is fully constitutional, this option was not presented to the Canadian people in the last, and quite recent, election. Many interpreted the results as being a stronger mandate for the Conservatives, with a retained sense that the government needed to cooperate with the opposition to pass needed legislation. A change in government would be a repudiation of this clearly stated desire of the electorate.

The Canadian-American, knowing the extreme costs of holding a federal election, supports returning Canadians to the polls. Canadians would then have full knowledge that anything short of a Conservative majority would result in a conditional-majority government which includes the Liberals, NDP and the Bloc Quebecois. Consent of the governed is a key element of any liberal democracy, and it is critical that the proposed coalition government has the explicit consent of the Canadian people to govern. The Canadian-American supports a Conservative majority in the event of an election.