Canadian Whines

Stephen Harper was sworn in on Monday, marking the first Conservative government in Canada since 1993, and the first one ever born out of Western right-wing politics that was the basis of the Reform and Canadian Alliance parties.

You’d think the occassion would be marked with celebration and a sense of triumph for the Conservatives. Instead, their caucus is up in arms over 2 appointments to Harper’s much-reduced Cabinet.

Apparently, convincing a Liberal from Vancouver to switch parties and a Montreal-based Conservative to accept a Senate appointment, both actions meant to bring them into Harper’s Cabinet, was such a sin to his caucus, that Harper’s own MPs are complaining loudly and publicly.

I really don’t see what the fuss is all about, and I certainly don’t think the Conservatives should be playing purists to their cause when they finally took power but only in a minority government situation.

(The government has 125 MPs, the official opposition has 102, the Quebec separatists have 51, and the left-wingers have 29. In other words, a hard-line conservative agenda could be squashed 125-183 if Harper isn’t careful.)