Roundup: Harper’s Westminster mistake

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It was a fairly combative interview, as Stephen Harper sat down with the CBC’s Peter Mansbridge, but there was a fairly important point to make, which is that the understanding of the Westminster parliamentary system that he espoused was totally wrong. Harper stated that he wouldn’t try to form government if his party didn’t win the most seats, which is an interesting political commitment, but his assertion that it’s the way the convention works in a Westminster system is wrong and has nothing to do with the actual way that governments are formed. What I will say is that this certainly seems to answer all of the paranoid delusions of the Harper Derangement Syndrome-types out there who insist that he’s going to try to hold onto power at all costs, and that even if he can’t win a majority that he’s going to still test the confidence of the Chamber and call a snap election immediately if he doesn’t get it, etcetera, etcetera. That’s certainly not the message that he’s been giving, and really, he’s not a Bond villain. Making him out to be such is counterproductive and simply wrong. Here’s Mansbridge’s behind-the-scenes look at the leader interview series, the biting satirical Twitter account Canadian Median Voter weighing in on Harper’s understanding, plus a reminder that Thomas Mulcair has said pretty much the very same incorrect things, and a reminder of how things actually operate.

https://twitter.com/inklesspw/status/641069383729741826

https://twitter.com/markdjarvis/status/640289615987929088

On the campaign:

  • Stephen Harper announced an endowment incentive fund to support local museums, and a small increase to the Registered Disability Savings Programme.
  • Thomas Mulcair attended the Labour Day parade in Toronto.
  • Justin Trudeau called for a sit-down between the three leaders about the Syrian refugee crisis (Harper said no), and made a three-point election pitch.
  • Gilles Duceppe, adorably, says that he’s open to a coalition with anyone but Harper. Because that worked out so well the last time.

Good reads:

  • Public servants going to war against the government. Because that’s not a problem for how our system operates.
  • Unions say that strategic voting can oust the Conservatives. Didn’t we hear that in 2011?
  • Apparently vote-switchers are making predictions difficult. Pity the pollsters.
  • Here’s an analysis of the various parties and leaders’ social media accounts.
  • Stéphane Dion says the volume of secret Orders-in-Council is the sign of a “sick” PMO.
  • Paul Wells quizzes Stephen Harper on why he hasn’t brought up a coalition in this election.
  • Martin Patriquin recaps Thomas Mulcair’s back-and-forth on gun registry politics.
  • Stephen Gordon writes about pissing away oil booms, the way that we keep promising that we won’t do.

Odds and ends:

Two Conservative candidates are out – one for essentially urinating in a client’s sink, the other for lewd crank calls put up on YouTube.

Scott Feschuk gives his satirical of the state of the campaign, in case you missed it.

One thought on “Roundup: Harper’s Westminster mistake”

  1. Sad to see Justin making the same mistake in his Mansbridge interview aired today as Harper did yesterday. I don’t see why it’s so hard for political leaders to understand the rules of government formation.

    Harper has said that he wouldn’t try to carry on and meet the House if the Conservatives didn’t have the most seats — but that’s his decision, not the rule. The trouble with Harper is that he always thinks his decision *is* the rule.

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