For years Liberal leader Stephane Dion has been claiming that “Canadians do not want an election now” as an excuse for sitting on his hands during non-confidence votes. He was not acting in the interests of the Liberal Party, he was selflessly acting on behalf of the people of Canada.
What a nice guy.
Now it seems he’s determined that Canadians are ready for an election:
“We have seen over the winter and the spring more and more interest for federal politics,” Dion told reporters Wednesday at a hotel in Ottawa’s west end. “And more and more appetite for an election.”
Dion knows that the timing of an election is in his hands, and that one day he will have to bite the bullet and pull the plug, regardless of what the polls indicate. He has clearly decided that time has come and he is uneasy about appearing to be acting out of self-interest and is now turning up the rhetoric to claim he’s doing what’s best for Canadians.
I would like to see what polls he’s getting his information from. As far as I can tell, there really is never much of an appetite for elections in this country, except from the political parties that might benefit. To most Canadians an election is a necessary nuisance, kind of like a visit to the dentist.
Hi,
I agree. I am not certain where this ‘appetite’ for an election is being measured. Although I am aware of a few Liberal MP’s running Touch & Feel sessions in their constituencies ie…Susan Kadis.
But with the US election looming, I can’t see how our media can be focused here and on the big show in the States.
There was good opportunity for Dion to have pushed for an election in the past year. I’d like to hear your thoughts on why you think the Fall would be favourable to Dion.
Thanks,
Hello Tracey,
I wouldn’t go so far as to say the fall would be a good time for Dion. Although from my perch it looks like things might not get any better for him if he waits until 2009, when an election will be mandated. The point of my post was to show that Dion would like to convey the appearance he’s acting in the interests of Canadians when in fact he’s simply looking for the best time to pull the plug from the Liberal perspective.
In the absence of any unforeseen scandal or any serious economic downturn, the Harper Conservatives should have little trouble defeating the Liberals again, regardless of the timing. Canadians are increasingly comfortable with Harper’s leadership and the more they see of Dion the less they like him.
Hi again Tracey. There’s an article in today’s NP the puts the case forward for a fall election you might want to read:
http://www.nationalpost.com/newsletter/story.html?id=688392