So much for Dion resigning, hahaha. I'd rather they have waited to make the motion until after electing a new leader. I'd say that Ignatieff would be the lesser of the evils, being that Leblanc is lacking experience and Rae....just no way, haha. I think Ontario would do anything to keep Rae out.

Ah well, at least Dion will be gone in a few months anyways. I have a feeling that this might actually happen. I can't see the Governor General agreeing to an election if the no confidence vote goes through.

I agree. I'm not a fan of Dion but this seems like a better way of getting the Conservatives out than having a second election in 3 months. I too hope it's Ignatieff that takes it - I would do anything to avoid the man that gave us "Rae Days."

I wish that you would have sent either of them down here eight years ago. Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck would have been better than the Goofy that we had.

I am having too much fun just watching Stephen Harper squirm. Watching parliament on the parliament channel is hilarious. He's definitely desperate right now to keep grasp of the role of Prime Minister and I can't wait to see his pathetic appeal tonight on television.

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/547334

I really hate how Harper is now turning on the Bloc. I may not like the party's agenda, but I respect the party.

Apparently Harper was trying to pull government funding for political parties. That would leave only one party rich enough to run campaigns - the Conservatives. Interesting, eh? The guy is a complete .

Dion definitely came out worse in the speeches last night, and it's not just to do with the technical difficulties. I've been thinking a lot about this, and I'm starting to get angry about the prospect of a coalition, even though we're going to have no choice.

These are a couple of posts I wrote on a friend's facebook note about the coalition, and they sum up my feelings pretty well:

"I feel like Harper is the lesser of the evils we have to choose from, and we're just going to sink into a depper recession if the coalition just hops in and starts spending money. There's a reason Canada didn't vote for Dion to be our leader, and it's why he's going to be gone in April.

I've heard rumours that Ignatieff is against the coalition, but the only remote source I can find on that is a Globe and Mail article stating that Ignatieff would likely not accept a cabinet position in the coalition. I'd say he'll be the best candidate to replace Dion, but as long as it's anyone but Rae, it shouldn't be abysmal.

People are saying that the measures Harper has taken to fix the economy are a self-serving move, being that he wanted to remove the subsidy that all parties receive on a per vote basis. Apparently the Conservatives have more private supporters so that move would be more detrimental to the other parties than the Conservatives themselves. However, I've seen no concrete evidence to support that fact. In fact, it would seem quite hypocritical, since the Liberals are obviously just making a grab for power themselves. It may be constitutional, but it seems undemocratic.

No matter who is in government, a recession is happening, and it's not going to immediately go away. That's just the way economics works."

"The NDP and the Liberal parties are not the "vast majority" who represent the votes of Canadians. If you go by popular vote, 44.44% voted for NDP and Liberal combined, which, granted, is more than voted for the Conservatives. The Bloc is not an official part of this coalition, and frankly, I feel that aligning with a party who wishes to seperate from Canada is just plain a bad idea. You also can't infer that because 44.44% of people voted for those parties in total then that many would vote for them as a 'coalition'. You can't elect a coalition government."

Could someone explain this to me in terms I may understand?? LOL I heard something this morning on the radio about this...

Basically, the NDP and the Liberals have officially bound together (with the support of the Bloc) to remove the Conservatives from power. They are going to hold a confidence vote (as of right now, scheduled for sometime in the next couple of weeks), and if they vote no confidence, then the government must either resign or seek an election. If the Governor General will not allow an election, then Stephane Dion will be Prime Minister with cabinet ministers from the NDP and the Liberal party.

Annd, that's the gist of it.

Doll, you make good points. I think we need change. I find it almost inspiring that three parties with such different backgrounds and stances would move together to get the conservatives out of power. If anyone is going to know exactly whats going on in parliament, it's the MP's, and if they're making this move then it signifies, to me, something is very, very wrong. Then when you look at the overall economy, the budget plans, etc, it's apparent that the Conservatives plans aren't what we need. I don't necessarily agree with the Liberals even though I'm a card carrier, but I do like some of their ideas about the economy.

As for the Bloc, they merely support it and will be consulted on things. I have no problem with this. Just because they are separatists doesn't mean they aren't a major party and therefore have a say in things regardless. Their stances on other issues are respectable, many that I agree with. Duceppe has said himself that he will only go along with this for the 18 month period.

I don't look at this as a power grab so much as a "Holy , get them out," kind of deal.

So this whole Coalition thing could be good? I mostly don't listen only b/c crazy news stuff on T.V scares the crap out of me...but I suppose if theres a vote I might as well do it this time

It might not be good. The problem is that you can't really predict whether this will have the desired effects or not. I'm for it because we need change and I disagree with almost, if not everything, the Conservatives are doing and have done in the past couple months/years.

Well, now that Parliament has been prorogued, it's going to be awhile before it will happen (if it does). At least this way we'll get to see what the Conservative budget will be.

Personally, I'm against the coalition because it's a slap in the face of voters who chose the Conservative government less than two months ago. It may be constitutional but it's undemocratic. Also, I feel that the ideas the coalition has proposed will do nothing but hurt the economy.

Woot, Rae and Leblanc have stepped out of the race leaving Ignatieff the only candidate. And from the looks of it, it's going to be much earlier than April before Dion is gone.

Yes, good news, I believe.