Fall Election?
It’s not official. Parliament’s not even back in session yet.
But unless things turn in a new direction and fast, we’ll be going to the polls sometime this fall.
If Prime Minister Stephen Harper had the majority government he craves, he wouldn’t have to face the nation in a general election until 2012. But you can be sure that’s not gonna happen.
Liberal Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff threw down the gauntlet last week. Ignatieff said his party would not be supporting the Conservatives and would take whatever steps were necessary to bring down the government and force a fall election.
The Liberals even have ads on TV, a crystal clear sign that they mean business considering their rather meager campaign chest.
Now Harper and his Conservatives are scrambling to get their ducks in a row.
A fall fiscal update originally scheduled for late in the fall was hastily rescheduled and issued by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty last Thursday. Why?
Well, it’s nothing but bad news, something best aired out now rather than wait till later in the fall when the Opposition parties could use it to beat the Conservatives over the head with in an election campaign. Just Harper playing politics with the country and pretending to care as usual.
But what’s not pretend is how this country has been falling into a deficit like a freight train falling off a cliff since the Conservatives took power in 2006.
Flaherty’s financial update projected a $164 billion deficit over the next six years. Flaherty vowed to get us back in the black without increasing taxes, which I figure that’s pretty near impossible unless the basic services in this country are cut to the bone. Even then you can expect a tax increase in the not-too-distant future anyway.
The Conservatives never should have made that two per cent cut to the GST. What good did those cuts do for the average Joe anyway? They may save a cent or two on a cup of coffee, but the whole country is spinning its way down the drain because of it. It sure would be nice to have those multi-billion dollar rainy-day surpluses now, wouldn’t it?
Maybe Harper should hire Paul Martin as his new Finance Minister. He’d have this whole deficit matter sorted out and the budget balanced over a long lunch.
On Friday, the day after announcing to the nation that we’ll be in the poor house for the better part of a decade, Flaherty was in Toronto giving away money for every kind of infrastructure project in the book and a few he made up. Buying voters off seems to be the Conservative plan of the hour.
We might be in the midst of a recession, but there’s always money to throw around during elections. The problem for you and me is that’s our money getting thrown around. Not to mention the cost of the elections themselves. The 2000 election cost the country $199.7 million. The one in 2004 cost $277.8 million. The 2008 election cost over $300 million and there’s no reason to expect the next will cost any less.
Anyway, ready or not hear it comes. I have no doubt the next couple of months on the federal stage will be interesting, to say the least.
But unless things turn in a new direction and fast, we’ll be going to the polls sometime this fall.
If Prime Minister Stephen Harper had the majority government he craves, he wouldn’t have to face the nation in a general election until 2012. But you can be sure that’s not gonna happen.
Liberal Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff threw down the gauntlet last week. Ignatieff said his party would not be supporting the Conservatives and would take whatever steps were necessary to bring down the government and force a fall election.
The Liberals even have ads on TV, a crystal clear sign that they mean business considering their rather meager campaign chest.
Now Harper and his Conservatives are scrambling to get their ducks in a row.
A fall fiscal update originally scheduled for late in the fall was hastily rescheduled and issued by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty last Thursday. Why?
Well, it’s nothing but bad news, something best aired out now rather than wait till later in the fall when the Opposition parties could use it to beat the Conservatives over the head with in an election campaign. Just Harper playing politics with the country and pretending to care as usual.
But what’s not pretend is how this country has been falling into a deficit like a freight train falling off a cliff since the Conservatives took power in 2006.
Flaherty’s financial update projected a $164 billion deficit over the next six years. Flaherty vowed to get us back in the black without increasing taxes, which I figure that’s pretty near impossible unless the basic services in this country are cut to the bone. Even then you can expect a tax increase in the not-too-distant future anyway.
The Conservatives never should have made that two per cent cut to the GST. What good did those cuts do for the average Joe anyway? They may save a cent or two on a cup of coffee, but the whole country is spinning its way down the drain because of it. It sure would be nice to have those multi-billion dollar rainy-day surpluses now, wouldn’t it?
Maybe Harper should hire Paul Martin as his new Finance Minister. He’d have this whole deficit matter sorted out and the budget balanced over a long lunch.
On Friday, the day after announcing to the nation that we’ll be in the poor house for the better part of a decade, Flaherty was in Toronto giving away money for every kind of infrastructure project in the book and a few he made up. Buying voters off seems to be the Conservative plan of the hour.
We might be in the midst of a recession, but there’s always money to throw around during elections. The problem for you and me is that’s our money getting thrown around. Not to mention the cost of the elections themselves. The 2000 election cost the country $199.7 million. The one in 2004 cost $277.8 million. The 2008 election cost over $300 million and there’s no reason to expect the next will cost any less.
Anyway, ready or not hear it comes. I have no doubt the next couple of months on the federal stage will be interesting, to say the least.
posted by Street Wise Guy | 6:29 PM
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