The Canadian Liberal Party has just signed its death warrant. Ostensibly, the pact the Liberals signed with the hard left New Democratic Party will provide them with an additional 19 votes in parliament for an expected no-confidence motion next month. Maybe yes, maybe no, but if they avoid a snap election it will take every last vote and then some, even with this. What did they give up? C$4.8 billion, or C$250 million (US$ 200 million) per NDP vote.
The problem is, should a snap election be called anyway (as still appears likely), the Liberals not only will be handling a set of scandals bigger than Watergate, but will have annoyed their party's center (there is no "right") -- driving them to the Conservatives. Further, they will have encouraged the left to vote for a suddenly meaningful NDP, rather than the fading Liberals. This was a snap election the Liberals might have exited with near parity with the Conservatives. Now if it happens they're going to lose every last marginal seat they possibly can.
I had thought they'd be smarter than this. Foolish me. I should have remembered that a politician's first instinct is to put off pain in the hopes that it can be avoided entirely. Usually it just means much more pain later, and this will be no different.
Why are they doing this? My bet is that they need to stay in power because they don't want the oppostion in charge of investigating the Sponsorship scandal.
Canadian coverage starts with Angry in the Great White North.