Ottawa

The system works, apparently

By Aaron Wherry

Jim Flaherty extols the virtues of our parliamentary system to an American audience.

Asked if his model for reducing corporate taxes could be extended to the United States, Flaherty told reporters a majority government made that easier but he acknowledged that he was able to get important policies passed even while the Conservatives had a minority mandate. In language that might surprise Canadians, Flaherty said the minority Conservatives were able to work with the opposition over the course of five years and implement fundamental policies, including tax reductions.

“One of the advantages that Canada has is we have a government that can make decisions,” he said. “We have a majority government. But even when we had a minority government, we were able to work with the opposition over the course of five years and implement the important policies, the fundamental policies that we wanted to follow.”

That’s a different view from the one the government appeared to take while in minority — at least publicly — when it often complained about obstructionism from Liberals and the NDP.

The relative efficiency of the Westminster model is something Fareed Zakaria has spoken fondly of in the past.