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A Winter Election?Category: Politics By this time tomorrow, we'll know if there will be a winter election. So far, though, it seems a sure thing as all three opposition parties have agreed to support a non-confidence motion. What will this bring? Based on current polls and public opinion, a Liberal minority seems a pretty sure result. The Liberals and NDP will both gain at the expense of the Conservatives. What can we expect from the parties during the campaign? The Liberals will campaign on their record, which has in fact been pretty good. Under the Liberals, we've seen several surplus budgets, putting the national economy in pretty good shape, especially compared to our neighbors to the south. Most Canadians still remember how the previous Progressive Conservative government brought in record deficit budgets! The Conservatives will continue to harp on the issue of corruption. But Canadians are getting tired of Steven Harper's whining on this issue. Sure there's corruption in government. It will always be there, regardless of which party is in power. In this case, though, the Liberals can argue that the problem was with the previous Liberal government under Jean Chretien. The big problem facing the Conservatives is campaigning on the issues. Simply, Harper's past public stands on the issues most important to Canadians are not popular with the public. Through his involvement as president of the right-wing National Citizens Coalition, Harper's public policy opinions are well known. If he were now to say the things most Canadians want to hear, no one would be able to trust him. Even on the issue of integrity, the Conservatives look bad too. Many former Progressive Conservative members won't forget how Harper and the (Reform) Alliance party staged their hostile takeover of the PC party. In particular, how can anyone trust PC party leader Peter MacKay after he pledged not to engage in merger talks with the Alliance party? (We mustn't forget the opinion polls that showed that the second choice for most PC supporters was not the Alliance party, but rather the Liberals. The current Conservative party, now under the control of the former Reform and Alliance parties, has alienated many progressives in the party.) This election will likely benefit the NDP the most. With more seats for both Liberals and NDP, the two parties together will likely form a majority. Of course, this will put the NDP in the driver's seat. In such an arrangement, the real winners will be the average Canadian. The NDP will insist on improved funding for social and environmental programs, as well as the public health care system. Hans path: /Politics | permanent link to this entry  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
