I guess it had to come sometime but maybe I was secretly hoping it didn’t have to. Of course I’m referring to the federal election that is now slated for early in May thanks to the self-righteous rantings on Parliament Hill that claim to be about democracy and what’s right for Canada but are really self-serving diatribes aimed at what’s right for their respective parties.
Now before I groan too much about an election that real Canadians don’t want and find highly unnecessary, I must admit it’s highly ironic that as one part of the world literally sacrifices lives for the right to hold free, open elections in a democratic manner, here we are whining about going to the polls for the fifth time in a decade.
We truly are a fortunate people here in the true north, strong and free.
OK, enough wave flagging and beer commercial patriotism, let’s get on with slamming our politicians, another Canadian pastime that we take pride in.
I guess we should keep in mind that this present minority government is into its third year, not a bad run as far as these instable institutions go. I mean if it wasn’t for an earlier successful end run, also known as a prorogue, by Prime Minister Stephen Harper we would’ve been going to the polls a long time ago.
Small mercies, indeed.
Anyway here we go again and at least this time there’s something at stake, like the future careers of the leaders of all the national parties (I think Gilles Duceppe is likely safe no matter what happens, gee there’s a relief).
It seems to me, and I know there’s others that feel the same way so this isn’t revolutionary stuff, that the opposition parties have willingly walked into a trap that may lead to their respective leaders’ ultimate demise.
I mean the Tories hold all the cards at this point. They have all the money necessary to wage a full-scale campaign, indeed they saw this likelihood coming and started weeks ago with attack ads questioning Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff on everything from loyalty to competency to….
Now the Tories can say it’s the Liberals forcing an election nobody wants and point to a reasonable budget that at least tried to incorporate parts of an NDP wish list while keeping a recovering economy on track.
“We tried to run the country with these people, folks, and let you go about your business but they just wouldn’t let us and now we’re forced to call an election and ask for a majority: Who do you trust to oversee a fragile economy, us or them?”
That will be the Tory message, with a lot of attack ads mixed in, and they have a lead in the polls to boot.
If the Harper government (ahem) can’t win a majority this time around, with literally everything in their favour, the Tories might want to look at bringing Joe Clark back.
That’s not to say Harper doesn’t have baggage to overcome. There’s a growing list of scandals that the Conservatives continue to slough off, a leadership style that appears more in tune with Mulroney than Manning and a likability quotient that barely registers with most Canadians.
And yet Ignatieff still can’t make inroads in the polls. His disastrous call for an election a year or so ago is not forgotten and his professorial style doesn’t connect with Joe and Josephine Canuck at all. He has the most to lose by forcing this election, he should’ve waited for Harper to trip up a few more times, and barring some sort of miraculous campaign on his part that convinces voters to trust his leadership (or a major screw-up by the Tories, like an attack ad that goes too far), he’ll be back giving lectures to university students within months.
This is likely Jack Layton’s last kick at the can too. Although likable and well-spoken, he’s taking a huge gamble and if he doesn’t maintain or improve his number of seats, the party will be looking for new blood at the helm.
Nevertheless, whether we like it or not, the campaign is on and although maybe not considered necessary, it was inevitable sooner or later. Luckily we have a few weeks to regain our appetite for and appreciation of democracy in action.
Repeat after me, we are blessed, we are blessed…
Glenn Mitchell is managing editor of The Morning Star. He writes a weekly column in the newspaper.
