Regarding: co-Prime Minister Gilles Duceppe.

As my last post indicates, it is irrational to suggest that Harper's Tories are a larger threat (whatever that means) than they were before this past election.

They have a renewed, and larger mandate.
The economy in Canada is doing better than the other Industrialized nations.
Canada now has near-record-low unemployment rates.

Andrew Coyne has a great article "The Tories Made Them Do It" that summarizes many of the flaws in this objection. (Thank-you Small Dead Animals for the link).

Obviously, this arrangement has been a long time coming. The audio where Layton admits to orchestrating the alliance with the Bloc a long time ago should be a clue. "You couldn't put three people together in three hours".

Coupled with the deal May had with Dion, it gives one pause to consider just how long this has been in the works. Is this why Dion didn't want to go to the polls in October? Was this already underway, even then?

The sad truth is this:
-Parliamentary Democracy allows for coalitions to form.
-The coalition is technically legal.

BUT...
-Parliamentary Democracy presupposes that members would not want to destroy the very country they are governing.

Thus:
-If Lib / NDP together could form a simple majority, without needing to be propped up by the Bloc...
... then as much as I hate the proposition, I would cringe and accept it, in much the same way as I would have accepted either of those parties being granted an electoral majority.

However:
-The Liberals / NDP could NOT form a majority without appealing to the Bloc. Thus, the Bloc has leverage on every decision, and is put in a position of extreme power, and will demand proportionate concessions.

Never before have we had a Separatist as defacto co-Prime-Minister. This is what makes this arrangement such a deal with the Devil.

(To see an examination and assessment of the agreement, look here for Ezra Levant's Article.)

He who pays the piper calls the tune. Duceppe can hold the threat of unseating the government over the supposed alliance, as leverage to make any demand (or whim?) he might deem appropriate.