Ashes, Ashes, We all fall down...

Diane,

I'm surprised I haven't written about this sooner, but it's time to get neck deep in the Coalition Crisis. Warning to those in the first three rows: You are seated in the splash zone and are likely to leave covered in spittle from my lunatic ravings.

Let's start out by admitting my bias; I am and always have been a partisan Conservative supporter who, while not always happy with the path of my party, will always mark my X next to the C. Today I'm as unhappy as ever with my political choices on the Federal level.

Our federal system is a mess. We have a Prime Minister who has decided to play in the political sandbox instead of working towards Canadian solutions in this global economic downturn. I agree with the decision to cut the funding to political parties; it's unnecessary and wasteful. But for it to be the first act of a new parliament was like rubbing salt in wounds of a beaten, but still dangerous animal. It was the final straw for those who saw Stephen Harper as nothing more than a bully who was using his important position to play political games. The opposition had had enough.

The Coalition that was formed between the Liberals and the NDP under Stephane Dion is one of the most interesting things I have seen in politics. You have to admire the pluck of a relatively small group of downtrodden MPs that stand up against an economic policy that is so offensive to Canadian sensibilities. In the early days of this Coalition talk, I actually found myself agreeing with "the other side".

But those days have long passed. Prime Minister Harper did what smart people do when faced with long odds...he moved away from his position. One by one he dropped the contentious issues in his economic statement, but all that did was add to the fury that was growing in the Coalition. It wasn't enough. It was never enough. The blood was in the water and the frenzy couldn't be stopped. Canadians were faced with an unreasonable, tunnel-visioned opposition that could not be prevented from toppling our seven week old Parliament before it could even get going.

Yesterday's prorogation of Parliament is one of the saddest days of my life watching politics. Our Governor General set a dangerous Constitutional Precedent that allowed the government to escape a confidence vote in the House of Commons. It closed our Parliament in some of the darkest economic days Canadians have seen in a long time. Our dollar is in free fall, our businesses are floundering as Canadians pinch their pennies at the busiest time of the year. All the while our elected officials can do nothing for 2 months because of the prorogation. But you know what? The Governor General made the absolute right decision. When faced with the choices of a new government, another election, or a time out for overheated MPs, Michelle Jean picked the best option of a bad bunch.

I place a heavy load of the original blame for this mess at the feet of our Prime Minister, but I have nothing but seething contempt for the Opposition for their role recently. Their inability to look past the slights of our bully of a PM and do what is best for Canada has dropped us into a nightmare the likes of which we have never seen. There was NO WAY that this Coalition could effectively govern under Stephane Dion. Sure, they could have toppled the government and had the initial confidence of the house to form Cabinet around Mr. Dion, but all that would be done from the moment the government fell until May's Liberal Leadership Convention would be for the Liberals and New Democrats to sit on their hands, doing nothing that might upset the bloc enough for them to topple the Coalition and send us into an election with their lame duck PM at the helm. In times like these, it's up to those who have been elected to show true leadership and earn the faith and confidence of the people they represent. We may not be seeing that from our Prime Minister, but I can guarentee that the majority of Canadians would rather have the Conservative Party govern over the next six month than a hodgepodge of Liberal, NDP and Bloc MPs under a PM on his way out the door.

Today I feel horrible about the direction of our government. They can't seem to get along and the opposition seems hell bent on destroying the government, even if they have to take the state with them. If they can't find the spirit of cooperation and goodwill that Canadians are stereotypically known for, then we are in for a long harsh winter. I pray those 308 men and women lucky enough to represent us will realize that.