Saturday 6 December 2008

Westminster Model 101

Could this be any clearer?

No. I didn't think so either.

Here's how it ends (emphasis mine):

Though Parliament is now prorogued, when it resumes in January, the Governor General still could not simply agree to a dissolution without first satisfying herself that no alternative government is possible without an election. Given the $300-million cost of an election held only seven weeks ago, and given the magnitude of a looming financial crisis, the Governor General would be justified -- indeed, required -- to canvass all options, including the one proposed by Dion and Layton, assuming it is still on the table. This is one of the few areas where the Governor General has real discretionary power -- not to use it would be an abdication and reduce the office to a mere cipher. It would also mean that, hereafter, minority prime ministers would be free -- as Eugene Forsey once said -- to act as though the electors have simply got their arithmetic wrong and must be put through elections over and over again until they get it right.


h/t LuLu at Canadian Cynic

4 comments:

CuriosityCat said...

Excellent article and a very good idea to post it.

Harper will be replaced by a progressive centre Coalition government supported for 18 months by the Bloc, if the Coalition holds together and takes action over the next seven weeks.

And Canada will have a government of cooperation, of hope, of putting the people first: what a wonderful prospect

Frank Frink said...

If the coalition holds, and I'm not so very optimistic about that at the moment.

Beijing York said...

A plan B should be one of the opposition parties agreeing to support the CPC minority ONLY if they replace Harper as leader. He is poison and needs to be shown the door sooner than later.

This article is further proof that Plan B might not be a bad one:

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/549448

fern hill said...

Interesting article, Beijing York. Thanks!

Here is a link to it.

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