On openings

It's interesting to note that even while purporting to want to "make Parliament work", Stephane Dion apparently has no greater strategic goal in the fall session than to try to pressure the NDP. But as John has already mentioned, the Libs shouldn't be so sure the NDP will play along - particularly in the face of a plan so obviously targeted at it:

Instead, Dion said, he would introduce amendments to the speech. If those are rejected, the party would abstain, allowing the throne speech to pass.

Dion introduced an amendment that includes a recognition of past Liberal programs, a call to reverse the income trust decision and a commitment to end the combat mission in Afghanistan in February 2009.

But the NDP have said they want Canadian troops out of Afghanistan immediately and support the decision to tax income trusts, meaning the amendment will likely fall.

Now, it may well be that Layton will simply choose to slam the Libs for their willingness to prop up Harper on the wider throne speech. But it's entirely possible that in the face of such an obvious bluff, the NDP could declare that it's not going to pass up what may be the lone opportunity to bring down the Cons in light of the Libs' plan to roll over and play dead once its motion is dealt with.

The likely result would be a campaign where the NDP could contrast its recent momentum against the Libs' freefall in progress - while also playing up the NDP's role as the real opposition based on the Libs' unwillingness to oppose the Cons' plans. And with Layton having taken the clear initiative in bringing down the Con government, the Libs' steady stream of cries that "those traitors didn't keep us in power!" would be turned on their head permanently.

Of course, the Libs could reverse course themselves in order to avoid the polls. But they'd only be able to do so by backing down yet again - this time by torpedoing their own motion for fear of having to face the voters on their own terms.

Now, it could be that a few more months of Dion incompetence (combined with Cons facing the scrutiny of Parliament again) could put the NDP in an even better position later this fall. But given the potential upsides both for the NDP as a party and for Canada as a whole in the possibility of removing Harper from power, I for one hope Layton and company are seriously considering bringing down the Cons through the Lib motion.

Update: Obviously I'm not the only one thinking along these lines.