Hoo boy.  Culd you imagine the pure psychosis the US would be in if we had parlimentary rules?  With this current political climate, we'd have no-confidence votes and call for new elections every gorram month.

Frankly, if the government can't decide on a majority course of action, then maybe they shouldn't be doing anything.

Working as intended.

Much like the Canadian government!

...and so on. Until the public revolts and elects the green party into power with... yet another minority government!

...because the status is NOT quo.
I just think we need to put the power into... other hands.

Plus, I kinda feel like Bob Dole after this post.

Looks like October 14 is the "big" day.  Whee.

Well he passed a law saying that he couldn't earlier on.

A part of the hold up has been getting permission from the governor general to ignore his own law.

Basically, yeah. It's not like he can dissolve Parliament and just rule everything himself, though. All dissolving Parliament does is force everyone in the House of Commons who wants to keep their job to run a re-election campaign in their individual riding. Whichever party wins the most seats generally forms a government. If the party in power exceeds all other parties individually, but not together, it's a minority government, and then they have to compromise to get things done; if they outnumber everyone else put together, it's a majority government, and they can do basically whatever they want. Parliament automatically dissolves after five years, but no Parliament has ever actually lasted that long here.

(by the way: officially, AFAIK, it's not the Prime Minister, but the Governor General, who has the power to dissolve Parliament. Usually, the GG will do as the PM asks, but she's under no legal or even traditional obligation to do so)

From what I understand, this works like Britain - and whilst the Governer-General (who holds all of the power reserved to the monarchy) and the Queen could refuse, it is very unlikely to happen. The monarchy in theory could refuse but it would cause an outcry (as the unelected monarch is refusing to do the will of the elected ruler) and I seriously doubt the Queen would run the risk of stirring strong republican sentiment, either in Britain or through her Governor-General in Canada.

The first time I ever voted in a federal election, I voted for Chretien and his liberals, mostly because of my parents. I've discovered since then that I've got strong socialist tendencies. I always have.

If I WERE a voting kind of guy, this time around I'd be torn between the NDP and the Liberals.

I like where some of the federal Liberal policies have taken us in the past, and still have lingering confidence in the federal party because of the Chretien years.

Provincially, I wish the NDP had more of a following in Ontario. Call me a pinko commie if you want, but I like the idea of a leftist federal government, with a complimentary left-handed provincial government with socialist tendencies. I also don't understand the Harper appeal, nor do I understand how the conservatives keep getting into power on any level.

Then again, I don't like politics and don't follow the policies and platforms very closely so I don't really know who to support. All I DO know is that I've never been a fan of conservative governments in general, no matter what country they're in.

Maybe I should pay more attention.