jschell

I'm not proposing anything, I merely said that it might be a good idea. I wonder if you might feel as strongly is it were the roles were reversed in Ottawa and the Liberals were in the position that the Conservatives are now. Yes, we do need a way to resolve issues of confidence I agree with that 100%, but when issues of confidence come up almost immediately after the people have given a mandate to the government (a weak one at that, I'll concede), it smacks more of blind ambition on the part of opposition leaders rather than a matter of confidence. If the government has not been given an ample chance to govern, there can be no matter of confidence. The opposition (regardless of the parties involved) can not call a motion of confidence purely based on the fact that they don't like the leader of the party in power.

Why just the leaders of the opposition? Because they are the ones who have made their minds up that this is the course of action that needs to be taken. They haven't even tried to work with the government. Some one had said that the Conservatives have taken a "our way or the highway" kind of attitude, from where I stand the Liberals and the NDP have been doing this all along. The Conservatives agreed to quarterly "report cards" on the economy and stimulus being spent. So far they have been accused of not spending enough and spending too much by the same people. How is that cooperative? Is Stephen Harper God? Not a chance. Are the Conservatives flawless and perfect? No not at all, but they have been trying. I think you have it partly right, except instead of loyalty to their parties, it is more like they are power hungry and wanting to be the PM or to advance their own standing. Smallc: I understand the Canadian parliamentary process just fine, thank you for your concern. I am not suggesting pure anarchy and throw away our system of government. I AM suggesting that perhaps if the kids can't play nice and get along, maybe they need a timeout to force them to look at the welfare of the country and Canadians, not just themselves. Quite frankly, THAT is more important than parliamentary procedure.

Well thank you for that lesson in Canadian politics, I am aware of the process, and for the record, I am non partisan...I have voted Liberal, Conservative (even when they were Progressive) and NDP. No, I am not against the Canadian system of government, however I do feel that term limits would be a good idea perhaps not 4 years but at least 2 for a minority. Let's face it, no matter who is sitting in the Prime Minister's seat, a minority government does not work. All we get is a constant back and forth power struggle, what happens to the markets and the economy though all of this? Investors do not like uncertainty and having constant elections making it unhealthy for the economy, the threat of an election every other month is no better. All I am trying to do is let the leaders of the opposition know that perhaps now is not the right time to explore this option with our economy showing signs of recovery.

You know just the comments on this post alone illustrate the exact reason parliament isn't working People are just far enough off center in either direction to not see eye to eye on anything despite sharing a lot of the same views. To address some of the other comments... jdobbin: Yes, I am sure if you asked Canadians if they wanted an election on the day the fixed term ended, they'd likely say no. However, I think we would become accustomed to it since it is "time" for the election according to legislation as opposed to politicians playing partisan games and forcing an election when one isn't entirely necessary. Smallc: I agree 100%, it takes cooperation from all sides, that being said it is hard to work with people that are plotting against you and have gone on record as saying that they will vote against anything the government proposes (NDP). 3 months after the last election the three parties refused to accept the results and tried to act against the government to bring it down. Personally, I think that was a desperate act by Stephan Dion because of his poor showing in the polls and the encouragement from Jack Layton. Dion was a weak ineffectual leader as history has shown. Ignatieff is not appearing to be much better, but time will tell. Since Jean Chretien stepped down, the Liberal party has been in decline, due in part to Paul Martin's alienation of a number of strong Liberal party members but I digress. Perhaps the Conservatives would be more willing to give concessions on policy if there wasn't such a hostile "give me what I want, or we'll defeat you" kind of attitude. Quite frankly, all 4 leaders need a good bitch slap to knock some sense into them. There are many more important issues than partisan politics to consider.

Yes, yes it does. However since the Conservatives are the party in power, they should be calling the tune. Would you expect any less if the Liberals or NDP had formed the government? The opposition parties are there to keep things in check, not to derail the parliamentary process by opposing everything the governing party does and plot to bring them down. Aside from a few very vocal people on this forum, I believe that the average Canadian does not want to go to the polls again. If we do, it will likely end up in a status quo, sides may change but essentially we will be in the same place. What purpose does that serve?

Actually it was quite easy, I pressed the big button that said "New Topic"

To be honest, I didn't want any of those elections either. This is addressed to the Opposition since they have the means and intent to bring down the government rather than work with it and solve the issues facing Canada. The same petition would be in place if the roles were reversed and the Liberals were in power and the Conservatives were the Opposition. All I am trying to do is let the opposition know that while they say Canadians want this, not all of them do.

For pretty much a year now the Opposition parties have been playing partisan games in the House of Commons and keep threatening to topple the government. All this does is slow down any economic recovery that was underway. Are you fed up with all of the games in Ottawa? Want to voice your opinion and let the Opposition parties know that Canadians don't want another election? Sign the "No Fall Federal Election" petition and let your voice be heard loud and clear: Stop playing games and concentrate on strengthening the economy!! Sign Now! http://noelection.pcriot.com/