Well, it looks as if the NDP is going to yank the carpet out from under the Liberals. That’s fine; if there’s substantial doubt about the country’s faith in the sitting government they should be given a chance to choose a new one. Of course, anyone who thinks that any other government would be less corrupt than this one, especially after holding power for the better part of two decades, is niave in that quaint Canadian way. But Harper is hoping for a punishment vote, and that could be what he gets. So be it; the Liberals can hardly expect otherwise.

Regardless of your political stripe, though, you have to at least feel a bit proud of the fact that the public — fuelled by bored media and desperate tories though they may be — holds the government accountable and will soon force it to dissolve. The same, sadly, cannot be said of our neighbours to the south, where fewer than 40% of Americans approve of the job their president is doing, and yet despite political scandals far more egregious than anything the Gomery report revealed, there’s no indication their administration will change tactics, let alone give the citizens another chance to choose their leadership.