Modeling Journey

Harper has realized his hubris is about to cost him the prime ministership, and has bought a week by postponing the opposition day, according to the Toronto Sun:

“Prime Minister Stephen Harper is moving to avert a major political showdown, pushing off the earliest non-confidence vote in his government by one week.

Harper’s dramatic move late Friday follows a day of political turmoil in Ottawa as the opposition parties threatened to bring down the minority government and form an unprecedented coalition.
The prime minister cancelled a scheduled opposition day Monday, at which the Liberal threatened to put a motion of non-confidence in the weeks-old government.

The threat was so real that Rideau Hall said Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean had made contingency plans for a swift return to Canada from a European tour should the government fall.

Harper said the next opposition day will be set for Dec. 8, giving his government a week’s breathing space.

He also cancelled the vote on a ways-and-means motion that had been scheduled for Monday night, which also gave an opening to bring down the government. “

Where does that leave the opposition? They should avail themselves of this week to put together a progressive framework, which will govern the way the Liberal minority government will run the country for the next two to four years. This framework should cover the major steps to be taken to stimulate the country, perhaps along the lines of an earlier post of mine.

Harper, of course, will cobble together his own stimulus package, and then will present this to Parliament. But does anyone believe that he won’t simply be playing for time, and dragging his feet in implementing his ‘new’ stimulus package?

It is time for the voice of the majority of voters to be heard in Parliament. The Bloc, NDP and Liberals should join and work out the progressive agenda, and then vote the Tory government out and proceed to implement their own agreed program.