Northern MPs watching political drama unfold in Ottawa
With a coalition in Ottawa aiming to topple the Conservative government, members of Parliament from Canada's North have different reasons to watch closely as the political drama unfolds.
On Monday, the Liberals and New Democrats inked a deal to form an unprecedented coalition government, led by Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, if they succeed in ousting the minority Conservative government, and if the coalition proposal is then approved by Gov. Gen. Michäelle Jean.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the governing Conservatives are considering their options to prevent a coalition from taking over, while Jean has cut short a state visit to Europe to return to Canada this week and deal with the parliamentary crisis.
"What's happening is basically, in my mind, things that don't happen in Canada and they happen in third-world countries," Nunavut Conservative MP Leona Aglukkaq told CBC News on Monday from Ottawa.
"It's very concerning to me, as Canadians clearly spoke less than 60 days ago that they wanted a Conservative government to lead during the economic downturn of our country."
Should a coalition government take power, Aglukkaq would risk losing her post as federal health minister. She was appointed to cabinet just over a month ago, making her the first Inuk to take on a senior cabinet portfolio.
"I'm going through this as we deal with the situation," she said of her future in cabinet. "I don't want to speculate on anything."
Yukon Liberal MP 'had no interest in this'
Under the Liberal-NDP coalition agreement, Dion would serve as prime minister until a new Liberal leader is chosen in May.
The coalition would have a 24-member cabinet, with six New Democrats and 18 Liberals, and would operate with the support of the Bloc Québécois for at least 18 months.
But the proposal for a Liberal-NDP coalition, backed by the Bloc Québécois, even caught Liberal MP Larry Bagnell of the Yukon off guard.
"I personally had no interest in this, and so it was a shock and surprise to everyone, at least in our party," Bagnell said.
Meanwhile, the NDP's MP in the Northwest Territories said he would accept a seat in a proposed coalition cabinet, if one is offered to him.
"I haven't been offered anything .… what's going to happen in the government would be decided by Mr. Dion and Mr. Layton," Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington told CBC News on Tuesday.
"I wouldn't turn it down, that's for sure."
'Self-serving' move by opposition: Fentie, Aglukkaq
Yukon New Democrats gave the coalition government idea a thumbs-up in the legislature Monday, but Premier Dennis Fentie of the Yukon Party warned that it could threaten national stability.
"This is a very self-serving move to seize power from a duly elected government and the last thing we need these days in this country is political instability," Fentie told CBC News.
Fentie's view was echoed by Nunavut's Aglukkaq, who countered the federal opposition parties' claim that the Conservatives have no plan for the economy.
"[The opposition parties] don't care about the economy," she said. "Basically what they're after is self-serving to their own political goals."
But Ranbir Hundal, president of the Nunavut Liberal Association, said a Liberal-NDP coalition government could deliver unexpected benefits to offset Aglukkaq's removal as a senior cabinet minister.
"If the new government comes in, they would be more concerned to counterbalance the loss," Hundal said. "So we can expect a better deal from the coalition."