Coup d'État, eh?
It sounds like Canada is going to have it's own particularly Canadian brand of government upheaval, on par with what's been seen in places like Thailand, where the military junta steps in for the "good of the people". But just once, I'd like to ask the question to Mr. Dion - didn't the people of Canada decide what what was their good when they elected another Conservative minority government? In any case, naked power grab or not, if Mr. Harper cannot survive a confidence vote, then his government is finished. However, in that case, despite the fact that we just had a general election, we will have to have another one.
Mr. Dion's and Mr. Layton's coalition government proposal is fraught with difficulties, that should be put to the test before Canadian voters. For one, in order to form a government, they require material support from a Separatist party. Canada would have a government formed with a party whose very mission is to secede from Canada! Mr. Dion's leadership itself, the proposed PM for the new coalition, was put to the test a mere 46 days ago, and on this critical confidence vote in the form of the general election, Mr. Dion and his Liberal party lost seats. This strongly questions Mr. Dion's assertion that Canadians want him and his new government in charge of their affairs. Coalition governments themselves are a rare form of government in Canada, the last being a short lived on in the 1920's.
Mr. Harper has announced that he will request the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, to prorogue Parliament until January, at which time his government will present a new budget. If this budget is not supported, then he should call a general election to put a new government before Canadians. The government of the nature that Mr. Dion proposes should only come to power with an electoral mandate -- not mere royal assent.
It would be best if Canada's parliamentarians could work this out in debate and then decide on a suitable course of action between them without the political posturing and charades, but it seems that this is beyond them.