Canada election on the cards

I have never understood those velodrome cycle races, you know the ones when the riders try and out slow each other. In Canada we are seeing the same game applied to federal politics, with PM Harper and Liberal leader Dion circling slowly to see which will break first and trigger an election.

Harper is reluctant to go first, given he introduced a fixed term for the parliament. Dion doesn’t want to be seen as a wrecker by forcing an election; but something has to break soon. Given the current economics in that country I suspect the voters won’t really care who allows them the opportunity to have a say.

The Liberals really need to wake up to the fact that The economy, not the environment, is emerging as the No. 1 issue in the next election. Now I would argue that environment is now an economic issue, but Dion is still pushing it out front as a stand alone, potentially missing the advantage the Liberals desperately need.

“The Conservatives were supposed to be the party of economic rectitude. Yet, they'd gone from a surplus of $2.8-billion from the same period a year earlier to $500-million in the red.” G&M

That should be brilliant news for the Liberals, as one Liberal MP, Maurizio Bevilacqua, puts it: "The economy should be a slam dunk for us, but as yet, it isn't happening." But the Parti libéral du Canada have generally favoured campaigning on ‘hot button’ issues over he basics of good governance.

One can only suspect, given they have a good record on economic management, they fear the voter is just too dumb to understand economic issues. Try it Mr Dion; talk to the people about how Harpers Conservatives have hurt them and how you can turn the economy back in the right direction. Remain on the environmental track, to be sure; but as part of the wider economic debate.