Part Three: Royal Power Redux

(See: Part One, Part Two)

Most people know that quirky nugget of Canadian political trivia: that the Governor General is actually more powerful than the Prime Minister and can overrule his policies at any time. It’s true, in theory. But rarely are these powers put into practice. Before the week is out, however, we may get to see GG Michaëlle Jean demonstrate the fullest extent of her authority.

She is, after all, going to have to make a decision on whether to let the Liberal-NDP coalition go ahead with its move to overtake the government. It’s either that or dissolve the government for the second time this year. Although it’s doubtful she would allow for another election — especially when you consider the fact that the last one was called in direct defiance of Stephen Harper’s no-early-elections policy (at Harper’s own insistence, mind you).

There is, however, the possibility that Harper could try to postpone any confidence votes, since he still effectively controls when parliament meets and what will be discussed. If he really wanted to, he could send everyone home for the holidays a few weeks early and spend the rest of December in a nutmeg stupor, putting the whole mess out of his mind with a steady flow of eggnog.

And this would be where Jean — and, by extension, Her Majesty the Queen, the only person to whom the governor general is technically accountable — may have to step in and wield some unprecedentedness of her own.

But what do we know about Jean — other than the fact that she has her own personal coat of arms — that might give us some insights into what she will do with this wacky situation? Well, for starters, let’s go back to her childhood. She grew up in Haiti, where a dictator named François Duvalier named himself “President for Life” when she was seven years old. Soon after, her family fled the country when her father was tortured by the regime. Not to equate Mr. Harper with such heinous actions, but his recent attempt to cripple the opposition parties and prevent civil servants from striking looks like a leader reaching for power far beyond his elected duty.

When Jean came to Canada, she and her family settled in Quebec, which seems to make her an ideal candidate to sympathize with the Bloc-backed coalition. But Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe doesn’t appear to be a fan. Duceppe has often criticized her position’s ties to the British monarchy, something he considers anti-democratic. So when the coalition sits down to plead their case, will these Francophone roots provide common ground, or a point of contention?

Lastly, Jean is a celebrated journalist. Her interest in social democracy and cultural issues — not to mention her role in the award-winning documentary Last Call for Cuba — should provide some keen insight on how to handle a power struggle. At the same time, her journalistic instincts will be helpful when sifting through the rhetoric from both sides.

According to Jean’s job description, “One of the governor general’s most important responsibilities is to ensure that Canada always has a prime minister and a government in place.” Let’s just hope that she can put an end to all this parliamentary in-fighting and time wasting.

And if the party leaders don’t want to play nice, well, they should be mindful that she’s also Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces. I wouldn’t mess with someone who controls the military.