Wake Up! The Campaign is On!
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Can't see the 'ShareThis' icon? Reload your page view by pressing Shift and clicking Refresh at the same time.As you awoke on Sunday to the, well not exactly news, more like confirmation that we are in another federal election campaign, you may have wondered for one thing, why it happened in the wee hours of the morning. Perhaps you felt a bit slighted that the Prime Minister would announce a vote when Western Canada was still asleep. Perhaps you think that signifies something. Perhaps you don’t care.
At any rate, the campaign is on. We are told it is one of, even the single most important campaign in our history. As usual.
We’ve heard the leaders earnestly state that they don’t support attack ads against their opponents. With that formality out of the way, let the attack ads begin.
Even if you felt this campaign was unnecessary, it is upon us. My hope is that Canadians follow the trend we’re seeing in the U.S….where more citizens are becoming engaged in the democratic process, groups that don’t usually vote in large numbers are being counted.
The opportunity to elect citizens to represent us, to hold government to account is something we do take for granted. Billions of people would have gladly gotten out of bed early to witness a free and democratic election being called…if only they could. Many Canadians slept through the beginning of this campaign. Let’s hope they wake up soon and are there being counted when it matters.
Comments
Election
I think it is an unnecessary election, our third in four years. Election cost money. Harper is calling it now not because parliament is dysfunctional, but cause he is afraid that the economy is getting worse while he was about to lose 4 byelections, and sees this time as his best chance for a majority government. This despite his fixed election law.
There was not reason to do it so early in the morning. But, we all saw it coming with the 8.8 billion in recently promised goodies, plus those awful commercials showing Harper trying to be warm and cuddly and showing actors paid to say they are voting Tory including a fake vet with fake medals and a woman who says she is voting for Harper cause he has small children. She is a paid actor, couldn't they come up with a less superficial reason to vote Harper? I want issues.
It may not be so easy for Harper: the equalization payment redo that cost Saskatchewan so far 800,000 million; the income tax redo that cost seniors their pensions; replaced Liberal tax cuts and child care programs with leeser ones; less accountability, more corruption; less attention and funding to the environment, minorities, women, culture, parks, crime prevention, healthcare, literacy, work training, and the poor; being cosy with Bush; and is doing poorly with the economy causing Canada to face a deficit.
How can Canada be facing a deficit despite oil revenues, with all that money taken back from the provinces, seniors, and taxpayers, and all those program cuts - that is bad government.
Still people do not seem to being paying enough attention to the issues.
In Saskatchewan, one site has only 4 ridings in play. Palliser presently lacks a Tory candidate with Batters leaving for personal reasons; while the Liberals have a really great candidate former police chief Cal Johnston - whom really impressed me when I met him a couple of days ago. Regina-Lumsden has a Tory MP Lukiwski who has embarassed himself and being a city riding it could cost him his seat making for a three way race with Liberal Lysack and NDP Kovatch; Regina-Qu'Appelle which Nystrom and the NDP really want back; and Saskatoon-Rosetown which is an open seat and former NDP stronghold. Goodale keeps his, and the Tories keep the rest. I am ok with a result of 9 tories, 3 liberals, 2 NDP.
Nationally they predict 96 Tory, 71 Liberal, 16 NDP, 28 Bloc, and 97 in play including Central Nova (Elizabeth May). It sends Harper back to Ottawa with a minority government, but with less seats and thus more need to work with others.
election
Does anybody,(besides Stephen Harper and a few of his cronies, drooling at the prospect of getting a few more seats), really want an election right now?
Best case scenario. Minority govt. And then, shortly after, two leadership conventions in which the Liberals can find a leader who isn't such an out of touch dweeb. And the Tories can find a leader who isn't so.....well......slimey. (Sorry Tory people, but if that fake smile on Harpers face in his commercials doesn't make your skin crawl, I would suggest holding a mirror up to your mouth to see if you are breathing.)
And Jack Layton? Fugedd aboud it! (Time for him to find a real job for the first time in his life.)
And please, come back Rhinocerous Party. (R.I.P. Hugh Arscott.) You are missed!!
Election
I take it by your post you are not in favor of the "non-of-the-above" abstention.
Well it happens that this election, (like the last federal and the last provincial) I do feel there is a candidate worthy of support. (I still refuse to vote for the "least-worst").
But you also spoke of holding the government to account. And I am hoping for that to come to pass... for the opposition. I fully hope (AND expect) many liberals to follow the lead of their party leader as he has done; on what 40 consecutive confidence votes? And hold him to account with their abstention as he has done over and over in recent months.
The Liberals don't care
The Liberals don't care about the west, the Conservatives don't care about the west, why not give Jack Layton a chance. He may not care about the west either, but there's only one way to find out.
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