If We're Going to Have an Election, Let's Get It Over With

We may know for sure within the next couple of weeks whether or not we will be going to the polls.  I don't see what  the Liberals or the NDP for that matter have to gain from going now.  Both are not doing that well in the polls.  There is no Iggymania sweeping the land. His approval ratings have been lower than the previous Liberal leader.  Jack Layton has been having health issues.

The last few few weeks the opposition have hammering the government on faux scandals that that public doesn't really care about. According to a former Liberal strategist if the Liberals think they'll gain traction campaigning on ethics they should think again. In fact the economy is foremost on Canadians minds.

One, the top-of-mind issue for Canadians is the economy. It always is. I consequently don’t see how we Liberals can ignore the economy in a 36-day campaign. I understand the desire to avoid talking about an issue that is a Conservative strength. But the economy is the 600-pound gorilla in the room. Ignore it at your peril.

Is the Conservative government perfect?  Heck no!  But the mistakes they've made may be stupid but not worth going to the polls over.
 
Why not wait a few days for the budget?  Liberals probably know that it will be a relatively good news budget and don't want Canadians to hear it.   So that leaves Jack Layton.  He's  in a conundrum.  What will he do?  The NDP have been on the government's case over so called "ethics" issues too but on the other hand what if the Minister Jim Flaherty has put in help for low income seniors that Jack has been asking for.  Will he end up saving Iffy?

There has been so much acrimony in parliament since the Christmas break maybe a spring election might be what the doctor ordered.  Now is a good chance for a Conservative majority. A majority government is always more stable and that is what is needed to make some of the hard decisions that are going to have to be made in the near future. 

If we're to go to the polls, bring it on! 


 

The Toxic Atmosphere on Parliament Hill

I like many  have been appalled lately at the behavior of  MPs on the Hill who are supposed to be "Honorable Members." Well they haven't been so honorable the last few weeks.  It has developed into what L.Ian Macdonald describes as toxic.and it's mostly over procedural stuff that most Canadians outside the Ottawa bubble care little about.  Yes the government needs to be held accountable but the focus should be on the issues that affect the everyday lives of regular Canadians.

The Conservatives are no angels either. Please pay attention! Yes even though so far none of this muck has stuck and the polls look good, it's no time for the Conservatives to go into stupid mode and get arrogant and cocky.because you never know what may happen.  A little bit of humility might be in order.  The public responds more positively to humility.  Arrogance turns people off. 

What to about it?  Well maybe an election would be the solution to sort things out, I don't know but it has to be a majority either way. Either a Conservative majority or a majority with the Lib/Dipper/Bloc coalition. 

BTW. These goings on in Ottawa pales in significance compared to what's going on in Japan today with horrific earthquake and tsunami. My heart and prayers are with the Japanese people today. 

While Jack is Away, Two of His MPs Go Ballistic

WOW!!!  While NDP leader Jack Layton is in the hospital recovering from major hip surgery, two of his MPs go ballistic.  Are these two guys trying emulate Charlie Sheen or what? First you have Pat Martin having a meltdown while bullying a female Conservative MP.  Candice Hoeppner did great job standing up to him by the way. She conducted herself very classy.  Just imagine if it were a Conservative white male acting like this towards an NDP  or a Liberal woman. On the eve of International Women's Day to boot.  That's  even more disgraceful. Pat Martin needs to publicly apologize to Candice Hoeppner for his unacceptable behavior.

Then you have Thomas Mulcair losing it when being interviewed by QMI journalist Brian Lilley. Lilley was asking him if he was after the bosses job.  Jack better watch his back.


What are these two thinking?  It's not the way you would want an "honorable member" to act. They are a disgrace to Parliament.

Just imagine if it were a Conservatives  acting like this.  Well, there would be hell to pay and rightly so.  It would be the lead story in every news outlet as well with cries for resignations.  Both these MPs are in serious need of professional help for anger management in my opinion. We can only hope they will hear an earful from their constituents and their leader.

Spring Election Campaign As Early As This Week?

Will we be plunged into an election campaign before the scheduled March 22 budget?   Apparently there are rumors floating around we could be as early as sometime this week.  The Libs are contemplating bringing forth a snap non confidence motion. NDP MP Joe Comartin makes a good point.

Mr. Comartin reacted with surprise to news of the possible Liberal motion, and put forth an unusual explanation when he said it was unlikely Mr. Brison would get a chance to move his motion. Mr. Comartin said MPs do not expect Mr. Milliken to release a decision on the dispute over the cost of the crime bills until after the March 22 budget.

"The speculation around the Hill is that Peter is going to hold off as long as possible, which means he won't rule next week and the week after that is a break week, the budget comes down on the 22nd but he won't rule before the budget," said Mr. Comartin.

Asked why Mr. Milliken would take the unlikely position of basing his decision on an impending federal budget, Mr. Comartin replied: "If it's obvious that the budget is going to bring them [the government] down, because all the motion [Mr. Brison's] does is move it over to committee, the motion is kind of irrelevant given that you're going to have an election intervening."

Nik Nanos believes the voters are not going to buy into this. 

Pollster Nik Nanos was shocked when he heard of the possible scenario in an interview with The Hill Times. He said there is little chance an arcane Parliamentary battle over MP privilege would stick with voters.

Voters are more interested in the day to day bread and butter issues.
Keith Beardsley says it smacks of desperation on the part of the Liberals and believes it could backfire on them especially with Jack Layton trying to recover from hip surgery that he had just on Friday.

Such a move reflects the desperation of the Liberals to try to get back into power at any cost and it would appear to the public to be exactly what it is –  a self-serving attempt that has none of the interests of the public in mind.
Most Canadians are also smart enough to know that forcing an election is a means for the party to solve its leadership woes. Either Ignatieff will win or he will be gone. Helping the Liberals find a leader won’t attract votes

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There is also the Canadian sense of fair play. To force an election campaign while NDP leader Jack Layton  is on the sidelines recovering from a hip operation (not to mention the after-effects of prostate cancer) would not be seen in a positive light.  If I was the NDP I would be playing up the party’s attempts to win concessions from the government  and playing down Layton’s recovery speed. At least that would highlight that — unlike the Liberals, the NDP is in it for Canadians.

Liberals are playing with fire.  If they go ahead with this plan even if the other opposition parties play along with them, they could come to regret it.  It will play in to the Conservative narrative "He didn't come back for you"

For the Conservatives what a gift this would be. It would prove beyond a doubt that their attack ad line on Ignatieff — “He didn’t come back for you” — is 100% correct.

I don't know why the Libs are so hot to go into an election with their poll numbers the way they are. They only reason I can see is to get rid of their leader asap. Oh, yeah, as far as polls, they'll bring up Kim Campbell vs Chretien numbers.and Paul Martin vs. Stephen Harper numbers. They are underestimating PM Stephen Harper,he's no dummy.  PM Harper is no Kim Campbell and Michael Ignatieff is no Jean Chretien. Neither is Stephen Harper no Paul Martin and Ignatieff is certainly no Stephen Harper. Both Kim Campbell and Paul Martin conducted lousy campaigns. I'm sure PM Stephen Harper has learned from their mistakes and his own for that matter and will make an effort as not to repeat them.  The opposition will have an uphill battle.

Why can't they wait until the budget?  It's only really days away anyway. Voters are no dummies either.  They will see through this and punish the Libs or who ever that will initiate this.  If this is the way they want to play, bring on the election. Mark my words, Liberals will come to regret it. 

Well, What Ya Gonna Do Jack?

Election speculation started with Iffy last December and has been going on ever since.  Libs say they're not going to support the budget that's expected to be presented around March 22.   The Bloc are going to vote against it unless their blackmail demands are met.   It all comes down to Jack Layton and the Dippers.  Will they or won't they?  The ball is in your court.
I suppose it all depends on the polls and Jack your numbers are not looking too good these days especially in the latest Ipsos poll.
It has the CPC at 43%, majority territory, Liberals at 27%,rather stagnant, and NDP down to 13%.  Jack would certainly lose seats so why would he want to pull the plug? 
This poll is nothing for the Liberals to write home about either.  In fact it has some Liberals feeling like they need a head transplant.
Will he, won't he, will he, won't he?  I guess we'll all be wondering and waiting with bated breath until that vote comes down and we actually see what Jack and his party will do.