Weak coalition no longer a serious option

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff still says he is prepared to bring down the government over the budget, if it does not meet his three main requirements.

"This budget has three simple tests that it must pass," Ignatieff said on Sunday during a Liberal caucus meeting. "Will it protect the most
vulnerable? Will it save jobs? And most important of all, will it create the
jobs of tomorrow?"

Some say these requests are vague enough to allow the Liberals to easily support the government’s budget. However, the main weapon of the opposition before Parliament was prorogued, a Liberal-NDP coalition with Bloc support, seems to have faded from the discussion.

Radio-Canada points out that there was absolutely no mention of the coalition during today’s Liberal caucus meetings, a good indicator that support for the coalition has completely evaporated.

A couple of Liberal MPs were asked about the coalition following caucus meetings, and their response was equally disinterested. Quebec Liberal MPs Marlene Jennings and Raymonde Folco both said the coalition was a “just-in-case” scenario, if the government were to be defeated, so the Governor General could have an alternative.

We are very far from the animated rhetoric which made headlines before the Christmas break. In my opinion, although Ignatieff keeps this weapon in his back pocket, his lack of enthusiasm for the coalition is likely to play a part in the Governor General’s considerations if the Conservatives were defeated over the budget.

This deflated balloon proves how delicate the Liberal-NDP coalition really was and how it cannot possibly provide the certainty needed to guide our country during these uncertain times.