Liberal/ NDP Coalition

      The last time there was a coalition gov't was in 1917. It was during the Conscription Crisis. Next Monday, Dec. 8, there will be a vote of non-confidence and the Harper Reform/ Conservatives will be defeated.There is one ploy that Harper can use. He can prorogue parliament, postponing the vote, until parliament is recalled. His qambit has back-fired, and he is out.

      Fin. Min. Flaherty has retreated, and is now calling for a freeze rather than abolishing public funds for political parties, and withdrawing the plan to ban public sector strike ( PSAC - the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the largest  federal union, has called for nation-wide rallies to support the Liberal/ NDP coalition ). Flaherty has also promised to deal with the economic crisis with a new budget on Jan. 27, 2009, which will contain long-term economic stimulus and help for the auto industry.

      Too late. The bullying Ref/ Con have out-witted themselves. They are also being accused by the NDP of illegally obtaining and distributing a tape of a conversation between Layton and his MPs.

      Will Harper prorogue Parliament to save his gov't? Should he do so, the opposition parties can borrow a tactic that he used in 2004, when he wrote the Governor General to stop Paul Martin from doing the same. It will be a very interesting week. Watch the maneuverings by all the parties.

      At this time , it is expecteed that the Lib/NDP coalition will have 24 members in the Cabinet, with Dion as Prime Minister ( he may have gone down in history as the only Liberal leader not to hold that office ), with the NDP gettung 6 cabinet positions. The deal, with the support of the Bloc, will last 30 months. There was a deal like this in Ontario in 1985, between the Bob Rae- led NDP and the Liberals, and a somewhat similiar deal with the David Lewis- led NDP and the Trudeau Liberals after the 1972 federal election.