2AM Traffic

As far as I can understand it, the government may dissolve yet again on Monday over the Conservatives' proposed financial stimulus plan. Everyone has been saying that it's because it called for the elimination of public financing for political parties, which would have crippled the smaller parties.

The big news is that the Liberals and NDP have been in talks to form a coalition to take over the Conservatives. They need the help of the Bloc in order to have enough seats, and the Bloc has said they will help out if the coalition has Quebec's interests in mind. If a coalition forms, the three parties take over the government. If it doesn't, and enough votes are cast in a non-confidence motion against the Conservatives, the government dissolves and the parties go to another election.

Or the bill could pass, which means that nothing would change.

Since the stimulus package was announced on Thursday and rumours of a coalition started, the Conservatives have backed down on the public financing condition. But I'm not so sure that's going to be enough. I think there is a deep down resentment for Harper's politics that might keep a coalition momentum going. However, the Liberals only have a standing leader right now in Dion, who announced he was going to resign after his performance in the October 14th election. They could pull the trigger on Ignatieff, but he hasn't yet really had the opportunity to prove himself against the current Conservative minority.

Another election would be costly in a bad economic environment. It would be a red flag against the Liberals that Harper would no doubt wave in their faces. Canadians are tired of going to the polls as often as they have been lately, no matter how they vote, and I doubt the Liberals would perform well. I think, and hope, that if a coalition can't form, the bill will be allowed to pass, not the least because I'm worried about my own job but because it wouldn't be a good move on the part of leftists.

It's a pretty volatile situation. It also means that I'll find out on Monday how much longer I'll have a job.