Who’s in charge of the proposed coalition in Canada’s Parliament?

I’ve written before about how political and entertainment celebrities have the potential to work at Wal-Mart as greeters once they retire. With the current recession and possible job losses, these career moves may have to be brought forward.

Here’s how I imagine being welcomed at Wal-Mart’s front door by a grouping of the five main contenders for coalition leadership.

Stephane Dion: Hi. I’m your greeter for today and I have the video to prove it. As for tomorrow, who knows? (The latter statement is accompanied by shrugging.)

Michael Ignatieff: No, academically speaking, I’m your greeter. Just look at my graduation certificate from Harvard.

Bob Rae: No, I’m your greeter, at least for any merchandise left of centre aisle. (Then he sits down and plays the piano.)

Jack Layton: I’d love to be your prime greeter, but I’ll settle for assistant greeter and a couple of jobs for some other associates of mine.

Gilles Duceppe: I’m just here to hang out with my very best friends.

Of course, the smiles of all those greeters will turn upside down when the Governor General walks in and asks for the store to be closed for a month while Stephen Harper conducts an inventory count.

News Flash: Stephane Dion has just announced that he is stepping down as Liberal leader and Mr. Rae says that he will not stand in the way of his former college roommate, Michael Ignatieff, taking over as head of the party.

Mr. Ignatieff, with his background in academia, is a relatively “clean slate” politically speaking. He’ll have to sell himself to Canadians. His first days will be marked by natural goodwill towards the new guy, counterbalanced by inevitable rookie mistakes.

The big test will come when the Tories introduce their new federal budget shortly after Parliament reconvenes on January 26th. Will the coalition hold together to bring down the government in a non-confidence motion?

Many factors will come into play, including what’s in the budget, feedback from the ridings about the appeal of the alliance and the personalities of the remaining men at the top. It’s all still a cliffhanger.

Alex Carrick

Find Canadian construction-related economic articles in Canadian Construction Market News and in the Economic Outlook section of Daily Commercial News.

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