Canadian politics explained

Canadians must be great lovers of democracy. They send their armed forces to sandpits like Afghanistan and Libya to bring its blessings to the benighted Arabs. And they try harder than most Western nations to lead by example -- for instance, by having elections.

This morning, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen "Steve" Harper will ask the Governor-General to please allow the people to vote for him for the fourth time in seven years. This time, Mr Harpoon hopes, voters will give him a majority, allowing him to wrap his pudgy fingers around the levers of power for a full term, which in Canada means 4 years... or 5... or perhaps less... depending.

For Americans and others ignorant of affairs outside their own country, Canada's version of democracy is based on the British parliamentary "system". Churchill said it was the "worst form of government except all the others that have been tried".

Unlike in America, the Canadian cabinet (executive branch) have to be Members of Parliament. Technically they could be senators but in practice they all sit in the House of Commons. The government remains in office for up to four years, as long as it has the confidence of the House, meaning the votes of a majority of MPs.

Mr. Harpoon's government had a spot of trouble with this rule yesterday, when it lost a confidence vote in the House of Commons. For the first time in the history of Canada -- or any Commonwealth country -- the government was found in contempt of Parliament.

It is something of a Canadian tradition for governments to be contemptuous of Parliament and its ordinary members. Pierre Trudeau famously called MP's "nobodies". But M. Trudeau smiled when he said it, whereas Harper's face is frozen in this cat-that-ate-the-canary smirk.

Walt hasn't actually read yesterday's Hansard, but heard that Harper was asked "Are you trying to show your contempt for this House?", and answered, "No. I'm doing my very best to disguise it."

Whether or not this is an accurate quote, the opposition parties reacted like the fly on the edge of the toilet bowl* and united -- for once -- to vote for a resolution that the House had no confidence in the government, thus applying the parliamentary boot to Harpoon's massive derrière.

The beneficiary, oddly enough, may be the same Steve Harper and his Mildly Conservative party. Recent polls suggest voters might give him the majority of which he has nightly wet dreams, if only to avoid having to return to the polls in another 18 months or so. Walt will give you his prediction in about a month's time. (Lifetime pct: .974)

* They were pissed off.