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At a time when Canadians are looking to Ottawa for sound judgment in the face of a global economic crisis, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has failed miserably.

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Instead of taking the interest of Canadians to heart, the prime minister, along with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, demonstrated once again that partisan and personal political interests trumps all – even economic calamity.

Immediately following his re-election, Prime Minister Harper raised the hopes of Canadians by promising a new-style minority government which would utilize compromise and consultation to deliver a sound fiscal policy. Not only did Harper go back on that promise, he managed to compound the problem by adding a political crisis to the already existing economic crisis.

Last week's economic update from Minister Flaherty was supposed to lay the foundation for an economic stimulus package to insulate Canadian workers from the worst of the ongoing recession. The finance minister, under the obvious direction of the prime minister, decided instead to use the update to push the right-wing ideology of its core supporters and to take political advantage of what the Harper government perceived as a fractured opposition.

The plan proved a disaster and could prove a fatal error for the Conservative government. Unfortunately, it will also prove disastrous to Canadian workers, retirees and investors.

At a time when leaders of every other major democracy in the world are turning to leading financial experts and even political opponents to chart a course through these economic hard times, the Harper government continues to ignore advice and play political games. Even more disconcerting is that Harper appears oblivious to the dangers of his actions.

Flaherty's economic statement offered nothing to provide even the beginning of the stimulus package which almost every financial expert agrees is vital to dealing with a recession. Instead of investing in the Canadian economy, Flaherty chose to make cuts. Instead of new measures to instill economic confidence, Flaherty referred to tax cuts his government made in the past.

Ill-conceived tax cuts made over two years ago during economic good times will do nothing to drive the Canadian economy through the current bad times.

Despite a huge surplus in the unemployment program, the finance minister saw no need to enhance the program to help the millions of Canadians expected to join the unemployment line.

Harper knew the package he put forward last week would not be acceptable to the opposition. He just decided to play a game of chicken, betting the Liberals, with a lame-duck leader in Stephane Dion, would blink and he'd win the political game.

Harper was so confident in the Liberal weakness he even threw in a piece of political dynamite which had nothing to do with the economic crisis, but everything to do with his obsession to destroy the Liberals and destroy all opposition to the ruling Conservatives.

In his statement, Flaherty introduced plans to cut the political subsidy of $1.95 per vote, which goes to all political parties. The subsidy was designed to replace donations from big business and big union looking to buy influence.

While the Tories will argue that they, as the party with the most votes, have the most to lose, they know otherwise. The PM knows the Tory coffers are full and his party has the best system to raise funds. He also knows Conservative supporters are, for the most part, the Canadians with the financial means to make political donations for the tax breaks.

Regardless of the merits or shortcomings of the political subsidy package, it had no business being part of Flaherty's economic statement. That issue can be debated at another time.

Harper has since removed the issue from the package going forward and agreed to introduce a budget earlier than planned, but the damage has already been done. The economic package offers little for the opposition to support, and created a common ground for the Liberals and NDP to unite.

Harper has delayed a confidence motion on the economic bill, because he now realizes the Liberals and NDP, with support from the Bloc Quebecois, are serious about forming a coalition government. If the government loses the confidence vote in its first test after the election, most constitutional experts believe Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean will ask the Liberal-NDP coalition to form the government rather than return to the polls.

It's a sad reality; Stephane Dion, a man on his way out of the Liberal leadership, could be prime minister, with NDP leader Jack Layton holding a key cabinet post. That's not what Canadians expected, or even wanted. What they really want is to see their elected representatives actually working to stabilize the nation's economy.

Many Canadians will welcome the change rather than return to the polls. Prime Minister Harper had the chance to prove he was the best leader to steer Canada through the tough times. He failed.

For some unknown reason, Prime Minister Harper lacks the ability to put policy ahead of politics. Considered by many as an astute political mind, Harper usually succeeds in making his crass political opportunism work in his favour.

This time he went too far, even by his low standards. Worrying about his personal political fortune at a time when thousands of Canadians are losing jobs and retirement savings demonstrates a dramatic lack of concern for voters.

Maybe a return to the opposition benches will give him time to reconsider his priorities.

If that happens, he has no one to blame but himself.