OTTAWA -- With the announcement of a formal alliance among opposition parties, Canada moved closer Monday to removing its Conservative government without holding an election. If the pact -- signed by the Liberal and New Democratic parties and the Bloc Québécois -- is successful at dislodging the Conservatives, it will be the first time since 1926 that the federal government has changed hands without a vote.
Coalition governments are rare in Canada, and the opposition plan still faces constitutional and political uncertainties.
Adding to the political turmoil is speculation about how Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose government is outnumbered by the opposition in Parliament, will respond. Over the weekend, the Conservatives tried to stifle the movement against them by withdrawing some economic proposals, including an end to public financing of political parties, that angered the opposition parties and prompted the negotiations that led to their alliance. |