Criticism of the coalition: "unelected" prime minister

[sorrywrongemail]

I have a question for all the newspapers who keep on with this rhetoric.

Aren't all the party leaders elected MPs (or rarely, Senators) in their own ridings? How, then, could they be an "unelected prime minister"? Did we change political systems overnight or something?

[RedSock]

1. no one voted for "harper"

no one outside of his own riding actually voted for anyone named "harper"

everywhere else, the ballots never said "harper" -- and those outside of dion's riding never said "dion", etc. unlike in the states where all ballots said obama or mccain.

it is up to the members of the house to determine who is PM if all parties get a minority share of seats. if a coalition can be formed, as one was, then they rule. keep in mind that no one who won ridings/seats last election is being kicked out.

i assume that is what "unelected" means. canadians do not "elect" a prime minister. they elect a parliament. as someone who moved to ontario 3 years ago from nyc, it is surprising to see how many canadians know so little about how their elections and government work.

[daleo]

2. You're right

And everyone with a high school education knows it. Conservatives and their media allies are just feigning ignorance, to fan the flames of division.

[RedSock]

3. not so

from reading newspaper stories, letters to the editor, and watching tv bits, many, many people who clearly have bee to school are clueless.

shame on the media for being so slow (or for refusing) to educate their viewers.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

4. this line was used in the UK when Gordon Brown took over

I'm no fan of Brown, but the Tories here and the rag-wing press feigned outrage over "unelected" Prime Minister Gordon Brown, despite the fact that's how Parliamentary government works.

[Bragi]

5. Poll today on this

The reason conservatives are able to claim that a coalition would be "undemocractic" without people laughing in their faces has to do with the abysmal understanding that Canadians have of how our system of government works.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jH3CAWxNnbG89GBmy4TD0fhOUbHw

Our stupidity on this is not surprising in a country that doesn't teach history or civics to its citizens.

[Metric System]

6. That poll doesn't surprised. I've been saying for weeks now that Canadians clearly don't understand

our political system.