Despite the fact that Conservative leader Stephen Harper has stated unequivocally several times that he would not enter a coalition arrangement with the Bloc Quebecois, the new campaign strategy of Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe seems to be to go around telling reporters what he would and would not accept in such a coalition.
The other day, Duceppe was saying he would bolt if anything were done to derail the corporate welfare gravy train for Quebec's aeronautics industry (read: Bombardier.) Today, he's warning Harper not to tamper with "a woman's right to choose." (Despite the fact that Harper has no intention of changing abortion law.)
I'm not sure what's behind the strategy here for the Bloc. Perhaps its that they think unreasonable demands will bolster their standing with voters because the electorate will see that they are going to feather Quebec's nest. Maybe they want to hurt the Conservatives, although I wouldn't understand why.
One thing's for sure: If Stephen Harper wins a minority on June 28, he may have some difficulty maintaining power. Federal politics in this country is made up of one conservative and three ideologically left-of-centre parties. There's no natural coalition partner for the Conservatives on the scene.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:47 PM
