Canadian Government Falls

Stephen Harper, the Canadian Prime Minister (pictured), has lost a vote of confidence in the Canadian parliament. The House of Commons voted 156-145 against the current Conservative minority government. Since the Conservatives hold 145 seats in the 308 member House, that means every single member of every other party voted against the prime minister.

This means that Harper will have to call for a new national election. It will be the third national election in the last seven years for the country, and will probably take place in early May of this year (the Canadians don't waste time with really long elections like we do here).

Harper has said he believes the country will again vote for a Conservative government, and just hopes they can eke out a majority this time (he's had two minority governments). He said, "Our priority will remain to ensure stability and security for Canadians, in what remain extremely challenging global circumstances."

The Liberal Party leader, Michael Ignatieff, is hoping the new election will finally bring an end to the Conservative government. He said, "We want to form an alternative to the Harper government that respects democracy, that respects our institutions, that respects Canadian citizens."

The no-confidence vote came after Harper was demanded after a parliamentary committee had found Harper to be in contempt of parliament by failing to disclose the full costs of government spending on anti-crime programs, corporate tax cuts, and the purchase of new stealth fighter jets.

Will the Conservatives retain power after the new election, or will the Liberals be brought back to power? I think it could go either way. It is likely though that whichever of the two parties wins the most seats will probably not have a majority. That means they will have to form a government with either (or both) of the minor parties -- the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois.

NOTE -- Even if the Conservatives retain power, the single-payer Canadian health system is in no danger. Canadian conservatives are not as crazy as right-wingers in this country. They know a good thing when they see it, and have no desire at all to trade their excellent health care system for our flawed and broken system.