I agree this is very unlikely, but not because of Mulcair's politics. Rather, it's because of
why the talks broke down.
According to Mulcair, it was on principle:
“My last exchange was with then chief of staff Ian Brodie, who was also looking at an advisory position. The only subject was Kyoto and climate change. He made it clear that my support for Kyoto would have to change. That, for me, was out of the question. This was our last conversation. Our talks broke off on climate change,”
Meanwhile, according to Harper's press secretary Dmitri Soudas, it was over money:
“He told me he wanted $300,000 a year and that was his bottom line and, basically, I got back to him, saying I couldn’t go higher that $180,000, and I never heard back from him ever again. Two or three months later, he made the jump to the NDP,”
Whichever the case, it's hard to imagine either budging. The CPC isn't going to support action on climate change (as their record shows), and certainly
not stop opposing Kyoto (great for the base); it's also hard to see the salary dispute worked out when they're vastly different amounts.
Now if somehow Mulcair
did join the Tories, it would certainly be interesting. Ideologically, he'd be in the mold of a Mulroney-era Tory: Quebec nationalist, Blue but not
too Blue, strong environmentalist. That's a potent combination and I think he'd be a real star in the cabinet, and certainly seen as the frontrunner to succeed Harper. Whether he'd
get that is another question...