Progressive Conservative candidate and current PM Stephen Harper has started his election campaign by unearthing the coalition boogeyman, by warning a vote for the Liberals would mean a vote for a Liberal-NDP-Bloc coalition.

On the weekend, Harper was critical of using coalitions to topple governments all together and said, “the Liberal-NDP-Bloc Québécois coalition” would move with “lightning speed” to seize power if he is elected with another minority government.

This despite Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff’s insistence otherwise. He said quite clearly, “We will work with other parties but a coalition is out of the question.”

Not only that, but Ignatieff and Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe have called out Harper and his party’s own actions in 2004 regarding his desire to form a coalition to topple Liberal Paul Martin’s government in a similar fashion. Harper defended that decision by saying it was not a coalition.

Ignatieff said, “The person who’s got a problem with a coalition is Stephen Harper. He’s got to explain what he was doing in Toronto hotel rooms with Jack and Gilles.”

Now, that we have heard from the politicians, let’s hear from the coalition boogeyman himself.

“Frankly, I don’t see what the issue is as it’s all speculation at this point. To me, it’s a matter of collaboration. We, as a nation, have been bogged down by the incessant bickering and petty politics of minority parliament which is totally corrosive to the well-being of the nation. Aside from it being perfectly legitimate in our democracy and acceptable across the world, I think a little cooperation could go a long way to benefit all Canadians,” said the boogeyman.

Referring specifically to the Conservative-NDP-Bloc arrangement of 2004, the boogeyman backed the explanation previously given by Harper and stated, “This is not a coalition, it was an arrangement — just as a ‘prisoner of war’ is not an ‘enemy combatant’, nor is ‘contempt’ ‘parliamentary politics’.  I cannot be more clear, a ‘To-may-to’ is not ‘to-mah-to’. Mwuah ha ha ha ha ha!!”

Krystalline Kraus

krystalline kraus is an intrepid explorer and reporter from Toronto, Canada. A veteran activist and journalist for rabble.ca, she needs no aviator goggles, gas mask or red cape but proceeds fearlessly...