Canada's reputation for dull-as-dishwater politics is in jeopardy as people debate the constitutional crisis in Ottawa with a lively mixture of confusion, disbelief, anger and delight.

The news from Ottawa has drawn overwhelming feedback to stories, blogs, forums and Your Views on CBCNews.ca. Roughly 13,000 comments were posted to the site Tuesday — a record for a single day.

That record was set the day Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean decided to cut short a European trip to return to Ottawa.

Facing the loss of a confidence vote and a subsequent Liberal-NDP coalition with Bloc Québécois support, Prime Minister Stephen Harper may ask Jean to suspend the parliamentary session as early as Thursday.

A random sampling of comments since news of the coalition emerged less than a week ago suggests Canadians are eager to share their views on the recent and rapid political developments.

Affront to democracy

Many people writing to CBCNews.ca are angry because they feel the results of October's federal election are being brushed aside. Many are debating whether the coalition's attempt to gain power is undemocratic.

"Our country supposedly is a democracy, but the opposition is talking like any other country that just overthrows the government because of disagreements," wrote Gloria Groom. "Honestly, are we the same as other countries that act against what the people want?"

"Why should we even bother to vote if it no longer matters what the outcome? What a waste of the $30 million we spent on the recent election!" wrote Pauline Gill.

Others are going further than simply calling the opposition parties' moves undemocratic.

The attempt to defeat the government and form a coalition is "nothing more than a bloodless coup that does not in any way take into account the will or decisions made by the people in Canada," wrote Joseph Greenlay.

"Why have an election? Why make light of Iran and other countries' abuse of power?"

Support for coalition

Other people are writing CBCNews.ca to express their satisfaction with the idea of a coalition.

"Stop just one minute and consider the vast knowledge of men and women who are joining together with our best interests at heart. This concept in government has been absent in the House of Commons since the arrival of the Conservative-led government of Mr. Harper," wrote Karen Limacher.

James Harder said he has never seen Canadians so energized over politics.

"This is the most animated I have seen Canada. When I lived in the [United] States I saw this kind of energy expressed on a regular basis, but a fire has been lit under our butts that, I believe, is good for our country," he wrote.

"The Harper government won a minority government and, as such, had to tred carefully to ensure the support of the House. Sixty-five per cent of Canadians did not vote for the Conservatives. A coalition government is both legitimate and democratic," posted Kinney Butterfield.

'It's the economy!'

Some commenters questioned whether the political instability is further hurting the economy.

"I, for one, hate witnessing the instability in the market but it was heard loud and clear today that the market took yet another plunge. The weak economy is a worldwide issue and not one that Harper created," wrote David Timeriski. "We still would have faced challenges, no matter who would have been in power."

Michael Drosch wrote: "The latest news has been that the economy is holding steady and gained slightly. Canadians want stability at this juncture."

Many comments echoed the call for steadiness.

"The worst thing that could happen right now is political disorderliness. The world is watching. We're either a mature and stable country worthy of investment, or we are bypassed and international investors will go elsewhere," wrote C. Krauss.

"Shame on everyone, playing political gamesmanship while families are struggling and seniors are frantic about their future. Everyone should get back to work and abide by the decision of the electorate until the next election," said Bill and Marion Edwards.

'Head to the polls!'

There's also growing interest in solving the issue with another election, seven weeks after the last one.

"I will go to the polls a dozen times if necessary to prevent this from happening. The actions of these three parties is entirely about political gain in a time of economic crisis," said Rachael Bell.

Ralph Pharo said spending $300 million on another election is worth it "if we can get a majority of any one party," while David Barnes recommends an election "if these are the antics of our elected officials."