Photo courtesy of the National Post, URL http://nationalpostnews.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/pjt-klees-5.jpg?w=620
During the heated Ontario provincial election, many were speculating that if there was to be such a thing as a Liberal minority government after October 6th, it would be Andrea Horwath that would be the kingmaker. A woman moderating the conversation between her two male counterparts, Dalton McGuinty and Tim Hudak.
But now that October 6th has passed us and the Liberals have emerged in government again with one seat short of a majority, it seems that Frank Klees, a failed conservative leadership candidate, has taken to run for the position of Speaker of the House at Queen’s Park. This is of course good news for liberals as the shift for MPP Klees to the role of speaker will mean that both the Conservatives and NDP will have 53 seats in combination, the same number of seats as their liberal rivals, in the Commons.
Which would make bringing down the Liberal government and triggering an election again a practical impossibility. This is because it is a known fact that traditionally the Speaker tends to vote with the government.
Of course, one could also speculate that this is actually a part of the Hudak Tory plan. Prop Klees up purposefully as kingmaker in the position of speaker without making it look as if it benefits the Conservative party directly. At this point it is difficult to tell whether this shuffle will have a significant impact on the way the parties will communicate with each other. Well see what happens if and when Klees gets appointed.
Nevertheless, it is important to keep an eye out for power-brokering moves from all of the parties. It is a sure bet that the liberals will try to consolidate power and in some sense turn their minority into a majority, not necessarily on paper. And it is also important to watch for the conversation between the Liberals and NPD coming from the left corner.
In my opinion, it is necessary to keep the Conservatives in Ontario at bay from power for as long as possible, or at least until the Federal Liberal Party manages to rebuild and challenge Harper’s blue legacy.
For more information on this latest development, read the following article in the National Post here http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/25/former-ontario-tory-leadership-candidate-seeks-speakers-seat-in-queens-park/