The Globe and Mail

Assuming that the coalition goes forward as planned, which remains far from a foregone conclusion, there are going to be some interesting decisions to be made about which New Democrats get to fill their party's allotted six cabinet seats. (Incidentally, these six seats would apparently come in a 24-seat cabinet. Smaller government, here we come!)

Jack Layton is expected to take one. Thomas Mulcair is guaranteed to take another. That leaves four posts to spread among 33 MPs hungry for a taste of government.

There are going to some unpleasant choices. Olivia Chow, for instance, is among the most prominent of the party's MPs. But she's married to the leader, which could create a few hard feelings. And you really shoudln't have two of the five NDP ministers hailing from downtown Toronto.

Meanwhile, there are some longtime stalwarts who are going to be looking for payoff after all these years. But from the perspective of either party in the new coalition, rookie MP Linda Duncan - the only non-Conservative elected this fall in Alberta, where there's going to be some mighty resentment if the Tories are toppled - might look like a shrewd choice.

Beyond that - okay, including that - it's anyone's guess. I'd put in a vote for Joe Comartin, who's not flashy but is smart and serious, as justice minister - a reasonably high-profile position the NDP could fill without making the Liberals too nervous. Ottawa MP Paul Dewar, currently the party's foreign affairs minister, has a good reputation - but can half of this crowd really come from Ontario? Libby Davies would probably be the most deserving candidate from B.C., where the New Democrats are strong and will want representation. But since few of these people have ever been anywhere near government at either the federal or provincial level, it's very hard to judge.

I'll say only this: It's a shame that Bill Blaikie didn't stick around Parliament long enough to get a chance at running a department.

Oh, and if Pat Martin is poised to take a cabinet seat, Stephen Harper is entirely justified in proroguing Parliament, barring the doors to the House of Commons, and doing whatever else it takes to prevent this thing from ever happening.