I did not know that the opposition parties in a minority government could form a coalition--I thought they had to call an election. Also, wtf was Harper thinking? Did he forget that he could be kicked out?

This is exactly why I think a two-party system works all right. This coalition strategizing happens in every country with parliamentary democracy. It's basically the same as having two parties, and everything ends up a compromise anyway, necessarily.

So exciting.
Bring. It. On.

So excited for you non-Conservatives in Canada.

See, Miko, to me it's an example of why a multi-party system works. Harper didn't have a strong mandate (i.e., a majority), tried to do something incredibly stupid and arrogant, and so will likely lose his position as leader of the country. It's the minority status of his gov't that has kept him in check these past few years--the knowledge that if he didn't work with at least one of the other parties he would be unseated. I believe this would be the first time a PM has been replaced by a coalition of the opposition parties, and votes of non-confidence (which usually force an election) are quite rare, so it's not like the government's regularly being destabilized in this setup. I don't agree that it's the same as having two parties, either--the three main parties have some fundamental differences, and if you don't like any of them you can vote for one of the smaller ones (not to get into whether that would be 'wasting' a vote). Voter turnout is historically quite high in Canada (this year's participation of 59.1% was a record low), which I think you can argue is not unrelated to people having several options when choosing who best represents them.

Harper sure knows how to spin things. "Canadians elected the Conservatives to power." Well, actually, the majority of Canadians voted anyone but the Concervatives to power. Harper may have the biggest slice of the pie, but it's still less than half.

the majority of Canadians voted anyone but the Concervatives to power.

Exactly.

Yeah, that's frustrating, but this meant that while the Conservatives were/are the party in power, they have to negotiate with at least one of the other parties in order to pass laws, etc. I don't think that's a bad thing; I think it provides better representation for the people. I'd also say that a coalition isn't the same thing as a party--its makeup depends on the balance of power at the time it is formed, which reflects how the people voted.

meantmeans. They're not gone yet, dammit.

while the Conservatives were/are the party in power, they have to negotiate with at least one of the other parties in order to pass laws, etc

Well, we have exactly the same situation in Congress with our two parties. It's virtually impossible for something to get through both houses of Congress without negotiation with the opposing party, unless there is a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and House, and if that's the case it reflects the current will of the popular majority.

The difference is, Miko, that each party in the US is basically centrist, and minority elements within each party have to pander to the center to get anything done. With a multi-party system, it is the other way around - yes, the main party will be moderate, but they have to make concessions to the minority elements to get things passed.

Yeah I think multi-party and for that matter a parliamentary system are both more representative. This coalition will have to make an interesting set of compromises to work but at the same time they don't have to run to the center on shared ideals. Anyway on this particular news I couldn't be more pleased - I was up in Vancouver for a music festival when the conservatives won and it broke my heart a little. I always thought of Canada as our saner neighbors to the north :)

Thanks, kodama. I do think he's an embarrassment. *does premature dance on grave of Harper's career*

What is Happening in Canada: One of my favorite bloggers (who just happens to be a damn fine example of how cool Canadians are) just posted a thorough write-up of Canadian politics from a layperson's perspective. elizard - I hope this answers some of your questions.

Thanks, muddgirl--I knew much of that, but not all, and she lays the information out really well. Worth the read.