Welcome to the election campaign no one wants.
There is no doubt this election is nothing about what it should be … climate crisis, COVID-19 which has shown tremendous gaps in our social safety net, climate crisis … it’s about, as usual, power.
Justin Trudeau and Liberals obviously think a majority is within reach. That’s why we’re going to the polls. Nothing more, nothing less.
Like many, many leaders of a minority government before him (John Horgan here in B.C. the most recent example), Trudeau whined the reason to go to the polls is that the minority government isn’t working while simultaneously boasting all the wonderful things his government has done. Orwell called it doublespeak. (It’s not a Liberal trait as Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and the UCP simultaneously declared that having an election in the middle of a pandemic is irresponsible and that the pandemic is over and Alberta is open for the summer.)
Oh, to live in a world where elevators can go up and down at the same time … but I didn’t go into politics.
I have no sympathy for poor maligned, whiny leaders who, in a minority government, can’t simply rule by decree, which is really what they want. Minorities force governments to be a little more accommodating of differing viewpoints when developing legislation. However, that works as long as the opposition parties aren’t simply obstructionist. Sadly, we’re seeing more of that here in Canada, even though we have a great example south of the border of how destructive obstructionism can be.
We’re not there yet, and hopefully we don’t get there.
While there is really no compelling reason for this election, I’m not totally against it. As a journalist and political junkie, I love elections. But that’s just me.
As a staunch advocate of democracy, I believe the more times I get to vote, get to have say, get to choose who represents me, the better it is for me, for the country, for democracy.
We all talk about holding politicians to account. The only time we get to do that is at the ballot box.
So what will happen in the North? 338Canada, which averages all kinds of polls, the Cariboo-Prince George and Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies ridings as safe seats for the Conservatives while the Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding is a safe seat for the NDP.
In Cariboo-Prince George, it puts Conservative support at 42.6 per cent (plus or minus seven per cent); Liberal support at 25 per cent; NDP support at 18.4 per cent; Green Party at 6.4 per cent; Maverick Party at 4.6 per cent; and People’s Party of Canada support at three per cent.
The irony, of course, is that only the Conservatives, with incumbent Todd Doherty, and the NDP, with Audrey McKinnon, have candidates in place.
Tracy Calogheros, who ran twice for the Liberals, and Mackenzie Kerr, who has run federal and provincially for the Greens, have both said they won’t be running this time around. Calogheros got in hot water last election when she suggested the only way to beat Doherty would be for progressive voters to coalesce behind one of the left-wing choices. That went over like a lead balloon and Doherty went on to win more than 50 per cent of the vote so it didn’t matter. But it would have made for a closer race. This time, with the NDP candidate already in place, maybe the Liberals could sit this one out in Cariboo-Prince George. Ha ha, not going to happen … but it could be interesting.
Then there’s the age-old leader question: Will any of them campaign in Prince George?