At the beginning of the year, Canada's corruption-tainted Liberal party was defeated in a snap election, and replaced by a minority Conservative government. Now the party which props it up - the Bloc Quebecois - is threatening to pull the plug over Canada's commitment in Afghanistan, forcing another election. They've been there for five years, and seem to be achieving very little while facing an escalating death toll, and I can't exactly blame the Bloc for beginning to get uneasy and wanting to see some change in policy.
Any motion would be submitted in the new year, meaning an election around a year after the last one if the government falls.
Given that both the Liberals and the Conservatives have supported the Afghan "mission", both in opposition and in government, it is highly unlikely that the Bloc's views will make a difference either way. A few Liberals might vote against the government, but their new leader is only a week in the job, and it's unlikely they want to cause another snap election and try the public's patience.
ReplyDeleteMy hunch is a motion to defeat the government over Afghanistan would be lost by at least 100 votes. This is about the Bloc positioning itself to cement the considerable anti-war vote in Quebec.