Interesting. I wish I could make an adequate reply, but I'm tragically uninformed.
I'm not entirely sure why you want Canadians to go back to another election. We've just had two, neither of which, as you've pointed out, have elected a majority. What will having another one solve? Elections cost money and freeze the law-making process. What makes you so confident that we will elect a majority this time? You say the most preferable course of action would be for everyone to work together. The Conservatives would put forward legislation acceptable to everyone, and everyone would vote yes on it, and everyone would be happy. Yeah, that would be nice. But you also say that the coalition will follow "hashed-together" policies. Why is this? Is it because of the mixture of NDP and Liberal staff making up the cabinet? Wouldn't the Conservative minority government, in trying to make its policies acceptable to the House of Commons, do much the same thing? Why do you think the coalition with its varying ideologies will have a harder time than the minority government we've just seen?
You also say that the proposed stimulus package (they say it'll be under $30-billion but we can't be sure yet) shouldn't go to the forestry and auto manufacturing industries. Shouldn't the money go to the portions of the economy that need the most help? Forestry and auto manufacturers provide for many Canadians, right? We're trying to prop them up in a difficult time, not "improve our economic foundations". Well, at least that's the way I see it, that we're trying to shelter as much as possible from oncoming bad times, instead of trying to reshape our resource-based economy.
I do find it interesting that Dion is going to be leading the coalition until spring. These are the most critical months, I'd say, while the coalition is still trying to gather momentum and hold together. Nobody likes Stephane Dion. But in my estimation Stephen Harper has made quite a risky gamble in proroguing Parliament. It looks bad and the coalition is sure to exploit this as much as possible. I don't think the Conservative accusations of forming a "separatist coalition" are going to be quite effective. The Bloc has no cabinet ministers in the first place, and is not officially part of the coalition. It'll simply put its votes behind whatever the coalition says, or so it seems to me.
Pardon my ignorance. I'd like to use this as a learning experience.
Somehow I just managed to lose a very well-thought-out two page reply to your post. I'm lazy and thus this will be shorter.
-A coalition is forced to appease all its members. This means legislation will be watered-down as they cannot ruffle the feathers of any particular political ideology. As the Bloc, NDP, and Liberals have trouble getting along at the best of times, anything they do pass is going to be unimaginative and based more on what they can compromise on than what's actually good for Canada.
-Our automotive sector is a failed business which only survives because our dollar is traditionally lower than the currency of the market we export to (the US). Putting money into a failed business to prop it up is stupid - it won't change, and you only throw more money at it in the future. Let it die. Then it may be forced to change and make a product which can compete on its merits.
-The forestry sector is behind the times. It is having trouble because we export raw timber to a single market, instead of refining timber processing and exporting around the world. Why do we export raw timber to the United States when we could export processed timber to Asia and Europe for triple the price? Again, putting money into it just encourages non-competitive business practices. It's idiotic.
-We should be reshaping our economy to stand viably on its own, rather than hunkering down behind traditional, flawed, and protectionist business practices. Protecting businesses that can't compete stagnates the economy and makes things worse.
-Proroguing parliament was a risky move but I think it will allow cooler heads to prevail. Canadians do not like the idea of instability in parliament, and the overwhelming response has been that the parties should be working together, not playing political power games. Hopefully, this break will act as a serious wake-up to all the federal parties.
-Dion is incapable of leading a coalition. The man is weak and uninspiring, and a leader like that will not be able to hold a functioning coalition together.
-Don't underestimate the argument against the separatists. It's a relevant one - what the Bloc agrees to is inherently bad for the whole country and usually best for Quebec's socialist provincial policies (which helps them, but puts an enormous economic drain on the rest of the confederation). The West and the Maritimes know that very well.
-The coalition was an enormous risk for the Liberals and NDP and it WILL hurt them in the next election. The reason the Conservatives did so well in this last election is not because they gained many votes, but because Liberal supporters stayed home in droves. Dion can't even inspire his own party. This move has effectively alienated the entire Western half of this country - the Liberals and NDP will both lose Western seats because of this, which will only deepen the divide between East and West and further polarize Parliament. That's bad for Canadian unity - the West has long resented Quebec's special economic status with Ottawa, and if the polarization of the last 20 years continues you will begin to see a very real Western separation/rights movement in this country. To date, calls for Western separation have been muted or considered only by fringe groups, but it could gain mainstream following if voters believe that Ottawa has lost touch with them entirely. The Conservatives are in many ways seen as the only outlet for the Western half of this country to vent its frustration, a fact which neither the Liberals nor the NDP have tuned in to. The Liberals, once upon a time, were considered the natural party of most of Canada. The shift to the Conservatives has occurred in the West primarily because the Liberals have come to be seen as the party of Ontario and Quebec's interests.
Don't kid yourself - we are living in a political era where the breakup of this country in one way or another is a very real possibility, especially with the economic supremacy of the Western provinces. That reality is a very scary proposition for anyone who believes (as I do) in a strong, healthy, and unified Canada. The Liberals, NDP, and Bloc are playing with fire, and I don't think even they quite realize the stakes in the Ottawa political game.
