Harper shares our pain

In peril of being called a cynic, I wonder what the real reason is behind the meeting that PM Harper has set up with Provincial and Territorial Leaders on November 10. He says that he wants to discuss the economy.

In the two and half years of his first mandate, Harper ignored the other leaders. He never even invited them to lunch.

Now, the economy, which Harper and his parrot, J. Flaherty maintain have strong fundamentals, is falling apart faster than a $2 haircut.

The cynical-MysteryMan wonders if Harper is using the occasion to try to share the blame for his bonehead moves of reducing the GST, and therefore his revenues, and increasing program spending at a rate three times the rate of inflation and twice that of the Liberals' more spend-wielding years, resulting in impending deficits.

Oh, to be a fly in the room on Nov 10. Harper will have to contend with the Premiers of NL. Ontario, Quebec and BC - gentlemen that he treated like cow manure during the recent election. I wonder if he will declare the agenda for the meeting as a confidence motion?

There are only a few recourses for Harper in the meeting.

1) He can treat everyone as his opposition and declare no consensus, and force an election to try to get a majority government;
2) He can suck up to the Premiers and offer them support in these hard-pressed times, then declare the meeting as an attack on federal coffers, resulting in loss of confidence and call an election to get another crack at a majority; or
3) He can cancel the meeting, declare no confidence in his own government and call an election to try again to get a majority.

See the trend here?