Let’s Talk Politics…
…Canadian politics, that is. We’re going to run a federal election from start to finish before the US heads to the poll (albeit only because this is the shortest campaign allowed by law).
- Harper has gotten flack for calling an election to take advantage of the weakness of the Dion-led Liberals. That’s just fair play. Chretien called an election just three years into a term (Canadian Parliaments can run as long as five years) to take advantage of the Reform/PC/Canadian Alliance/Rebel Alliance (no, I’m not joking…though that wasn’t the official term) disassary.
- Harper deserves flack for calling for asking the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament in apparent contradiction of his own electoral law, which called for US-style fixed election dates. Yes, there’s a loophole, but telling Canadians that the election is “technically legal” is weak politics
- I don’t think fixed terms are a good idea. They skew the political calendar, making events and decisions predictable. Snap elections keep everyone on their toes.
- I think it’s remarkable that Harper couldn’t engineer his own defeat. I don’t know if that’s a sign of weakness or strength on the part of the Opposition, but forcing Harper’s hand does make Harper look like he’s taken all that rope and hung himself.
- I’m happy that the Green Party leader is going to get a seat in the televised Leader’s debates. Getting a Liberal MP to switch parties just before the election to help bolster her case was a good move. If the Bloc had unelected MPs but still participated in the debates, then so should the Greens.
- Nothing fills me with more idle curiosity about Canadian political history and geography than the names of the ridings. They’re meaningful, but I can’t quite figure out why.
- I live in a Liberal stronghold, so I’m amused by the candidates from other parties. They always look like they skipped class to pose for their campaign posters.
- In the years that I’ve lived in this neighborhood, I’ve not had a single party or candidate ring my doorbell. I have received one courtesy call, however. Actually, it was two calls on the same night from the same person and the same party. They weren’t very well organized.