Canada's "Survivor"

Do you know what's the path of least resistance in Ottawa? To survive. Plain and simple. I've learned that in my brief stint as a member of parliament, and that is especially true in this present session. We've seen it before, but it was usually just one party - the Liberals - that was caught like a deer in the headlights. Going nowhere in the polls, lacking both funds and an effective fundraising strategy, and still relegated to the penalty box post-Gomery - all these made for a miserable existence. With no ability to overcome these liabilities, we had no choice but support the government to stave off an election. Both Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe know what I'm talking about. At different points over the last few years they found themselves in low places politically and opted to "play along" rather than test the waters and face what might be electoral defeat. And so in these last couple of years they have enjoyed roasting the Liberals in their own juices. Both were masters at deceptive survival, but with their polling numbers trending up, they could be perhaps forgiven for making someone else's existence as miserable as their own once was.The greatest transformation in this regard is Stephen Harper's. There were times in opposition when he would reach out to any friend he could to keep the Conservative cause alive long enough to consolidate and await the inevitable currents of sponsorship to bring the Liberals to a point of disrepute.This is politics, and survival is the name of the game at different times and in various circumstances. But what makes this particular session different is that all four parties are in this survival mode at the same time - no one is really leading. All the balls are up in the air at once and nothing is really landing. Oh sure, the Liberals, under Michael Ignatieff, are seemingly on a roll, but where to exactly? The Liberal leader has been criticized for not putting out solid policy, but no opposition leader usually does in times such as these. He prefers to reason that he's taking the time to discover this great land even deeper, getting to know Canadians and their challenges. Fair enough, but he's still in a state of suspension until the time comes for him to attempt his run at the crown. He's leading his Liberal caucus well, but we have yet to hear how he will lead the nation.Jack Layton isn't faring well these days. Gambling and losing on the coalition attempt at last year's end, he's now regrouping but dour. You can see it in his demeanour. Some in Parliament wonder if he has peaked. Perhaps he does himself. The recent Quebec poll has suddenly put Duceppe in the dumps. For now, he's losing ground where he was once king. And Stephen Harper? He's in the most suspended state of all. He can't lead and he has great difficulty retreating. He's offering nothing new or dynamic; he's just ... surviving.The country is staggering under the load of recession. The media is finally starting to demand political leadership, though they've come a little late to the game and have been woefully benign themselves on ideas for the future. So we don't have a Parliament in waiting, or in retreat.  It's just "there." The next five blogs will examine the plight of each leader and the media's own part in it all. Stay tuned while we stay suspended.