What I could dig up on coalition governments (google AI, take with a grain of doubt)
Yes, a coalition government can legally form in the Canadian Parliament, though it is extremely rare at the federal level. It requires two or more parties to agree to form a government together, sharing Cabinet seats to hold a majority in the House of Commons. While possible, parties usually prefer informal agreements to a formal coalition.
- Definition & Structure: A formal coalition requires members from different parties to sit in Cabinet together, allowing them to command the majority support needed to govern.
- Legitimacy: Coalition governments are legally valid within Canada’s parliamentary democracy, although rarely seen in federal politics.
- Historical Context: The only formal federal coalition was the 1917 Union Government led by Sir Robert Borden.
- 2008–09 Case: In 2008, the Liberal Party and NDP planned a coalition supported by the Bloc Québécois to challenge a Conservative government, but it did not come to fruition.
- Minority vs. Coalition: Many federal governments are minority governments—where the governing party has the most seats but not a majority—relying on agreements with other parties rather than sharing power in a formal coalition
Although frequently considered as a possibility during minority situations, a formal, multi-party Cabinet coalition has not existed in federal politics in over a century.
Now my thoughts. That is a rare beast indeed. Just imagine any 2 parties actually cooperating enough to achieve this? As stated, very rare.
The Justin-Jagmeet Pact was not actually a coalition government although it essentially created the same effect. In the end, look at what voters said to Jagmeet for essentially propping up the Liberals (yes there are a multitude of reasons of why but the biggest I see is this combined with scary orange man bad)
You look at the four party leaders (I assume a best case scenario for Avi and the NDP), it would be pretty fragile coalition if any two of them cooperated.
And it would still not require anyone to leave their party.