Intrigue in Ottawa

NYT:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally requested Thursday that Canada’s Parliament be closed down in an effort to delay a vote that could bring down his new government. Mr. Harper’s move is unprecedented, and comes less than two months after he won re-election. If his request is rejected by the formal head of government — the governor general, Queen Elizabeth II’s representative — the prime minister will have two choices: step down or face a no-confidence vote on Monday he is sure to lose...

BBC:

Canada's Governor General Michaelle Jean agreed to prorogue - or suspend - parliament until 27 January when the government is set to present its budget... A prime minister's request to temporarily suspend parliament had never been turned down, but nor had such a request been made when the government was certain to lose a confidence vote.

Canada

With all the attention devoted to the US elections, you may not have heard that our neighbors up north are having their own elections today. Here's a brief summary of the political scene in Canada.

Tuesday is election day in Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Conservative) called the snap election -- just before the global economic collapse -- in a strategic move to strengthen his minority government. Instead, polls in the closing days show the Tories have slipped and are likely to have a net loss in seats. Harper's main rival for PM is centrist Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion. Although the intellectual former Cabinet member Dion was initially seen as politically weak and a poor communicator in English, he has gained substantial ground in recent polls. Jack Layton -- leader of the democratic-socialist New Democrats -- looks likely to score the NDP's best finish ever. The regional Bloc Québécois may lose a few seats overall, and the Greens may capture their first seat in the federal parliament. If the Liberals and NDP can reach consensus after Tuesday, they will have the power to form a center-left coalition government and oust Harper. It remains to be seen, however, if any deal can be reached. If the two parties remain fractured, however, Harper may be able to hold onto a precarious and diminished minority government.