A Canadian conservative might be more of a moderate here; America is a much more conservative country.
Remember that Parliament has 308 seats. A "clear" majority government would need 155 seats to do as they pleased, which is what the Chretien Liberals did. Among juicer items: - $1 billion "unaccounted for" in the HRDC (Human Resources and Development Canada) - Almost $2 billion into the National Gun Registry, which somehow - surprise surprise - failed to stop a nut from blowing away 4 Mounties in Alberta. - Around $40 billion sunk cost of EDC (Export Development Canada) - The Gomery Inquiry into the $150 million Sponsorship scandal. The straw that finally broke the camel's back. The thing I had most against former-PM Paul Martin was his shifty look and his behavior as Finance Minister under PM Chretien: as former CEO of Canada Steamship Lines, reflagged the freighters to 3rd world countries to avoid Canadian income taxes. Many of the tight races are being recounted, but here are the results: 124 Progressive Conservative 105 Liberal 51 Bloc Quebecois 29 New Democratic Party 1 Independent So clearly the PC's are a Minority government. They must form alliances with other parties to pass major bills. They could also face a Non Confidence vote if they happen to do something really stupid, and then it would be back to the polls. Perhaps a Minority government is the best form of government. It requires consensus and sharing of power, and more likely major decisions are better scrutinized . So if Americans are suddenly counting on support for Missile Defense – or a blank check for the Alberta Tar Sands – don’t hold your breath. Depending on the political mood, that alone could ensure a Non Confidence vote.
Does anyone know of a country that has a non-corrupt leadership, be it prime minister, president or other? Since my daughter moved to Italy we have been very involved in the news there too. They are in no better shape than we are.
