I think that all Mr Harper has managed to do is delay the inevitable. A soon as the budget vote comes up in January the opposition/coalition are just going to vote it down and he is finished.
I amd not sure I like the alternative to Harper either...

The coalition will not survive the next 6 weeks...fractures are already beginning to appear. All MP's are going to get an earfull form their constituants when they return home for the holidays.

Its been an interesting few days, hasn't it? How many people knew the meaning of the word "prorogue" before last week's events?

I hope that some good can come out of this mess. Harper has been daring the opposition to stand up to him for the past 2 years. I hope this teaches him that in a minority, one has to work with the opposition to get things done. When the late January session begins, I hope that all of the parties will discover that the need to "share the toys in the sandbox" to get things done. When egos get in the way (and I mean the egos of all of the leaders, not just Harper) the business of running the country tends to come second.

Cheers, everyone. Drive slow and get home safely today

"I hope this teaches him that in a minority, one has to work with the opposition to get things done."

And thats the problem. A majority government is still and enourmous beaurocracy that moves with the agility of a slug. Any minority government is useless. Canadian voters caused this mess by not giving a government, any government, a majority. With the way things are shaping up I cant imagine GG would allow the coalition to govern and all the polls suggest that the Cs would romp to a majority government. In hindsight the ideal play out for the Cs would have been no-prorogue followed by an election when it became apparent to GG that the coalition does not have the popular support of the people (as all the polls suggest).

And we've a pretty clear indication of what a Tory majority would do: immediately try to stifle all opposition permanently but cutting their funding and still disallow major contributions. Provide next to no stimulus and worsen any recession as they stick to ideology rather than what's good for Canada.
I simply can't understand why after committing a screw-up of such major proportions, some people are still flocking to defend Mr. Harper and blaming everyone else for his own ineptitude!
Should the coalition fall apart, it has already served it's purpose. The Liberals would be wise to hold their leadership convention NOW, so they are prepared for a non-confidence vote when it happens.

Here in BC we have a coalition gov't called the BC Liberals. They are made up of former Socreds and Liberals and are under the direction of Gordon Campbell. He took over the party in the 90's by discrediting the former leader for having an affair with one of his MLA"s and the local newspapers chastised him for such poor behavior. Campbell didn't win the next election because he promised to sell BC Rail. In the next election after the coalition was complete, he promised not to sell BC Rail. He was elected. He had a lot of help from the BC Press (Can-West Global) who slagged the NDP for the poor times in BC even though it was a carry over from the 80's and lack of support from the federal Liberals (after they cancelled transfer payments.) He came to power and as a coalition of the right and LIberals and promptly sold BC Rail. He was arrested for drunk driving and rather than the press slagging him the way they did the NDP, they said let it go and let him get on with the job. Quite a difference in tone and attitude, not equal and unbiased treatment. (Some wonder why Can-West is having financial troubles when they have such poor reporting.)
In any event, the BC Liberals are a coalition of conservatives and Liberals and the are doing a terrible job in this province. There is a litany of the shortcomings of this gov't so I can understand why you might be afraid of a coalition gov't. This example certainly shows their limitations.
However I believe those trying to set up a coalition in Ottawa are not as dishonest as the BC Liberals.

Borrowed money caused this recession, how is throwing more borrowed money at it going to fix it??? This coalition needs to get a grip on reality.

Hmmm, astro! Actually the media did *slag* Campbell for driving while under the influence! For many days I saw his picture printed in the papers and all over TV, the one in which he was grinning and obviously half basted.

But, he actually apologized! Can you believe it: a politician actually feeling sorry for what he did and admitting he made a mistake!

There were a lot of mistakes made by many B.C. politicians in the past (including during the nineties!) but apologies have not been forthcoming then or now!

With the media it is like this: If they don't *slag* those who you don't like as much as you think they should - you get mad! It is obviously bias!

If they *slag* the ones you adore you get mad too! More bias!

In my opinion the media did not *slag* the NDP provincial government as much as they should have and I have no problem with the media going after Campbell when he broke his promise not to sell the BCR or any other obvious going back on election promises.

Did the media go after the Conservatives about broken promises? Barely, in my opinion.

"However I believe those trying to set up a coalition in Ottawa are not as dishonest as the BC Liberals."

You seem to be saying that Duceppe, Dion and Layton are somewhat dishonest too, only not as dishonest as the B.C. Liberals. What about Harper?

Honesty in politics is as hard to find as hens' teeth.

Come on diplomat...there is a big difference between a sincere apology because you actually feel terrible for something you did, and saying what you think you need to say to keep your job!
Which is what Campbell did when he got busted in Hawaii.
What he said to the B.C. voters was not an apology,it was a heat-deflector to buy himself some time in hopes that people would forget about it.
I guess it worked for the most part, but it has never been completely forgotten by the public and I doubt it ever will be.
He did it,and he gets to take the heat for it.

I withhold my vote from polls like this. I do it because a vote today for the Harper savior of Canada... can by next week turn into the the vote of support for the person the broke up the country. Depending of course on how his hate-on campaign in English Canada against the Quebec separatist influences the way the Quebec citizens will vote in their provincial election next week.

I think people indicating support for any of those parties is doing so in a situation full of hypothetical possibilities that most know nothing of in a fluid situation, and the knee jerk reactions can be done through ignorance... not realizing the full ramification.

Harper may have saved Canada this week... but by next week his solution may have given the separatists a fresh mandate for separation. Who is to say his agenda is not to kill the liberal party and break up the country? This could be done if he gets the pq elected next week. Both could be the consequence. One could imagine the complete opposite happening as well with the liberal win making the bloc irrelevant and thus in need of a new ideological home. Todays hero could be tomorrows goat... and vice versa... we just don't have the facts to make informed judgments at this time IMO.

IMO the poll will be invalid for these reasons and as such I won't add my vote to it. Well that and I really don't like the options. I also don't think one should ask for a persons political affiliation directly, but rather indirectly I think is more appropriate in situations like this....

Come on Andyfreeze! How do you know the degree of his sincerity when he apologized? You wanted him to resign and you would have found nothing except a resignation satisfactory.

I assume that you personally never made a mistake that you wished to apologize for? You would have expected others to accept your apology, I am sure.

He apologized, was re-elected. Obviously the majority of the voters out there forgave him and allowed him to move on with his life.

It's ancient history now. Everybody is human. Life goes on.