What the devil is the 'Rat Jerrold Nadler doing hanging out with Harper's Conservatives?!?! LOL
Posted on 03/25/2007 8:42:24 PM PDT by GiveEmDubya
Last Updated: Sunday, March 25, 2007 | 9:54 PM ET
CBC News
Quebec faces the real possibility of a minority government for the first time in more than a century, as the province's main political parties remain locked in a virtual tie with voters heading to the polls on Monday.
Quebec has not elected a minority government since 1878, when a dispute over railroad laws erupted between the province's Liberal lieutenant-governor, Hon. Luc Letellier de St-Just, and Charles-Eugène Boucher, the Conservative premier. Boucher was fired, prompting an election in which the Tories, under new leader Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau, squeaked by the Liberals with a one-seat advantage.
Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotnibinière, the Liberal leader, recruited two Independent MNAs to outnumber the Conservative caucus, and assumed the premiership with a minority coalition that lasted 18 months before five members fled the fold.
When the Liberals attempted to call a new election, Quebec's new Conservative lieutenant-governor turned them down, allowing Chapleau's Conservatives to form the new government.
No minority tradition in Quebec
This unique precedent for minority governments in Quebec doesn't offer many lessons for modern-day politicians, said l'Université de Montréal political scientist Pierre Martin. "The party blocks were fluid [then], individuals had room to manoeuvre that they don't have today," he told Canadian Press.
A minority government scenario has not figured in contemporary Quebec politics because of the popular rise of the Parti Québécois, Martin theorizes. When former Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis's Union national faded from the province's political scene in the late 1960s, after ruling for much of the 30s, 40s and 50s, the nascent separatist movement that became the PQ quickly replaced it as the Liberal Party's counterpoint.
"The transition from the Union nationale-Liberal system to the rise of the PQ was very fast," Martin said. "There was no place for a transition situation where a minority government could have been conceivable with the three parties."
Several provinces have flirted with minority governments, including Ontario, where the Liberals ruled from 1985 to 1987 with NDP support. Saskatchewan's NDP governed from 1999 to 2003 despite only holding 29 of the legislature's 58 seats, and Nova Scotia currently has a minority Conservative government.
But Quebec is moving into unfamiliar territory. "I think the most useful [precedent] is the situation before us in the Canadian Parliament — that is to say a minority government that subsists on a case-by-case basis," Martin said.
Quebec parties divided on minority outcome
PQ Leader André Boisclair said his party's plan to hold a first-term referendum won't fall flat if Quebecers elect a minority government on March 26. The PQ is prepared to work with Mario Dumont's Action démocratique du Québec party on the constitutional front, to organize another provincial vote on sovereignty, Boisclair told CBC.
Dumont has repeatedly said he's an autonomist, not a sovereigntist — and during the debate told Boisclair he will not help him with a referendum. But the PQ leader is convinced otherwise.
Dumont is "sending confusing messages. Some days he says he doesn't want a referendum. Some other days he says to sovereigntists 'come to vote for the ADQ,'" he said. "My duty is to leave the door open, and I feel that it's still possible to build a coalition to have a referendum," Boisclair said recently.
Liberal Leader Jean Charest has warned voters a minority government will weaken Quebec's bargaining power with the federal government. "Quebec has never elected, or at least not for 100 years, a minority government, for a reason," he said during the campaign.
Dumont, who is the only leader to predict a minority government outcome, is confident the scenario will lead to greater political accountability, he told CBC. Minority governments paradoxical
Voters do retain the impression that minority governments are more accountable, but they are also be paradoxical, said Vincent Marissal, a political columnist with La Presse, a Montreal daily.
"If you're not happy with [the government] you just fire them and have another election. But people don't like to have elections. It's expensive, and people have to make a choice. But because of cynicism in the population, people like the idea of keeping their government on a short leash," he told CBC.ca.
A minority government is a wake-up call and may force Quebec's leading parties to do some soul-searching, Marissal said. That's what happened to the federal Conservatives.
"When we elected Stephen Harper's minority government, some people said it was almost the end of the world. But the world is still turning, it's not that bad, he's managed to keep it together," Marissal said.
"To see today how green the Conservatives have become, it's the best example to show that a minority government can change a political party, in a deep way."
With files from Canadian Press
Definitely weird. The CBC said there were advance poll ballots that were uncounted, but still, that usually doesn't sound right.
There wouldn't happen to be a Palm Beach County in Sherbrooke, would there?
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
They just took back Louis-Hebert for the ADQ as the Liberals now lead, but that's about it right now. The ADQ will still finish with over 40 seats, which I must admit is more than I figured.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
I honestly don't think 20-25 seats is out of the question for the CPC. Who knows, maybe a few more?
The ADQ was strong in Quebec City and the surrounding region where Harper has most of his Quebec seats, but they really formed a nice blue ring around the Montreal area. The Tories can punch in to some of those places along the US border and in central Quebec.
As I said before on the thread, Harper has to be licking his chops at the possibilities.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
For what good it'll do the BQ overall, I don't know, because Harper is going to bring down the House soon. IMO the writ drop is coming sooner rather than later -- I'm not talking about this week, I'm thinking within the next month or two, maybe three. I honestly can't see Harper waiting until the Fall when the proverbial iron is hot.
How stupid, ignorant and uninformed a journalist can prove himself in one sentence is astounding!
The minority status of the Conservatives has NOTHING to do with its stance on anything! Instead of waffling about, making vague and vacant statements, the Tories are actually DOING something. The LIEberals had majorities for years, and a minority for the last year or so of their tenure, and did NOTHING but mouth platitudes.
This journalist is also ignoring the fact that the Conservative Party of Canada is a NEW party, formed from the ashes of several now defunct parties. Clean slate and all that, not that you'd know that from the spin the MSM has put on the story.
Now that you mention it (I skimmed over that last part), I have no idea what that sentence even means.
New ping for future.
So now the question is, who're these guys in the BBC article? : 
In both pictures, the people don't seem to match.
The middle guy in the first picture and the one on the right in the bottom one could be one guy, but the others don't look very similar.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
The writer of the article in question was inferring that the Conservatives were reacting to polls and media pressure and modifying (from the platform of a party that no longer exists federally) their "green" stance solely due to their minority government status.
In other words, a classic case of LIEberal projection, accusing your opponent of doing that which is your own weakness.
The CBC pulled a "Florida" when they prematurely claimed that Charest lost his seat then later had to reverse themselves after the absentee ballots were counted showing that he had in fact won his seat. The media on both sides of the border has a tendency to jump the gun.
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