The proposed coalition government in Ottawa is causing ripples that have spread all the way out to the west coast.
The leaders of the Liberals, NDP and the Bloc Quebecois signed a formal agreement Monday to topple the Tories and co-operate as a coalition government for at least 18 months.
The show-down in Ottawa has people here in B.C. speaking out about what they think of the idea. Some are wondering how it will change their lives.
This morning on Bill Good's radio show he took dozens of calls from members of the public, many of whom think we are in fact going to see a coalition government despite possible election fatigue.
Views ranged from those who excitedly say they would be "happy with a coalition government" to those who call it a "coup d'�tat by greed."
Still others wondered how such a significant change in the Canadian political landscape could have come about so easily.
Simon Fraser University public policy professor Doug McArthur says Prime Minister Stephen Harper missed his chance to fix what has become a big problem for his government.
"He obviously thought he could actually go as far as political stunts as he did with this election financing, thinking he could get away with bullying, he completely misjudged the situation," said McArthur.
"If the government doesn't fall, would you be surprised? I will be surprised now."
While some callers were concerned that B.C. would lose power and influence in a coalition government, McArthur says there could be some major gains, like more money to help the province's number one industry - forestry.
"[It's] something we weren't going to see under the Harper government. They were obviously unwilling to step in any significant way in the forest industry. The Bloc has strongly supported," he said.
Other possibilities, he added, could be more cash for major projects like rapid transit to Coquitlam, or the 2010 Winter Games.
McArthur suggests there could be fewer B.C. MPs in a coalition cabinet, but frontrunners include Liberal Ujjal Dosanjh and The NDP's Libby Davies.
Vancouver financial analyst Michael Levy told CTV the ongoing uncertainty in the political climate is having an impact on Canada's financial markets. The TSX recorded a record drop on Monday.
"What you've got is a situation where offshore [investors] do not like uncertainty in any country they invest. The fact remains that Canada right now is showing a very uncertain political climate... It could hurt our equity markets, but more so, it could hurt the Canadian dollar," he said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's St. John Alexander
