‘The Coalition is on the Table Now’

On the ongoing quest to read Michael Ignatieff's mind.

The National Post’s Adrian McNair writes that Michael Ignatieff has indeed slammed the door on the possibility that he’ll attempt a coalition, but because he waited until Day 2 of the campaign to do it, it’s too late. “The coalition is on the table now, and the Conservatives will use it to their utmost advantage,” he writes. But why is it on the table? Just because the Conservatives say so? Let’s hope the NDP starts talking about hovercrafts and balancing the budget with fairy dust because then those will be on the table, too, and we’ll have an election Canadians will really pay attention to.

Harper’s anti-coalition message boils down to “I don’t choose to work with other parties. So reward me with a majority. Or we’re doomed,” according to the Halifax Chronicle Herald. By this reading, giving him a majority would amount to rewarding him for being unco-operative.

The Montreal Gazette asserts that Harper’s “fear-mongering” about a coalition is hypocritical not only because he attempted something similar in 2004 but because some of his closest allies, like Israel’s Netanyahu government, are made up of opposition coalitions. “Does Harper then mean the Israeli government is illegitimate?” the Gazette demands.

In The Mark, Barbara J. Falk outlines all the reasons why coalitions can actually be good for democracy, particularly because they force politicians to behave and are traditionally more productive in their legislative output. They’re also constitutionally legitimate, which to the Newsroom makes Ignatieff’s vow to not form one appear a pretty good indication of how weak the Liberal leader is in the face of Conservative attacks.

The Post editorial board says there’s virtually no chance Ignatieff will go back on his word and form a coalition because it “doesn’t seem to fit in with Mr. Ignatieff’s personality.” The Newsroom would add that it would also be political suicide and render the Liberals unelectable for years. “Pundits, partisans and legal experts will continue to debate the coalition issue,” says the Post. “But we believe that it’s time for the actual candidates to move on to other issues.” Amen.