Canada about to have another election?

[RichardE]

Got this email today from the Liberals

The budget surplus that Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty projected just eight weeks ago does not exist. The Liberal Party and Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) were deeply suspicious of Harper and Flaherty and that suspicion is now confirmed.

The PBO is predicting that the budgetary deficit for 2009-10 will be $13 billion, even before any stimulus spending is allocated.

In order for next week?s budget to earn the confidence of Parliament and of Canadians, the numbers can?t lie. Stephen Harper must be frank and honest with all of us about the true state of our economy and the steps necessary to dig us out of the mess his government has created.

The simple issue is trust, and as I write this letter to you today, I can unequivocally say that Stephen Harper is going to have to work hard to earn the trust he squandered. The Harper Conservatives mismanaged the economy in good times, with excessive spending and ill-advised tax policy. Now, when the need for action is greatest, the cupboard is bare.

Worse, according to the PBO, some of the measures currently under consideration could create a permanent deficit that would hamstring our economy long after the current recession has passed.

As the clock ticks down toward budget day, Michael Ignatieff, and the Liberal team, are committed to protecting your interests and are working to ensure that Canadians can look forward with a sense of hope in the future. We will keep you informed as developments unfold.

Yours sincerely,

Scott Brison
MP, Kings-Hants, Nova Scotia

I have also been contacted a few times in regards to a few campaigns here, seems that the Liberal machine is making sure they are ready this time. I think if they had an election now, the Liberals might be able to ride to power with Michael Ignatieff and the Obama (change) wave (Harper was seen as Bush's double).


Edit: For those not familiar, in Canada they vote on the budget which is always a "confidence" matter. So if the budget does not pass it is seen as the government has lost the confidence and the government is either dissolved, or the opposition forms a government. (Really really simple explanation)

 

[sandorski]

I suppose we'll see in a week or so. The Liberals have been going up in the Polls, might just be too tempting to let it go.

 

[RichardE]

Originally posted by: sandorski
I suppose we'll see in a week or so. The Liberals have been going up in the Polls, might just be too tempting to let it go.

Yeah, I think Dion did a double whammy to the party, pushed the right liberals off to the conservatives and the left liberals off the the NDP, Ig looks to be good at bringing them back into the fold

 

[yllus]

Won't happen. Will put money on it.

 

[RichardE]

Originally posted by: yllus
Won't happen. Will put money on it.

It will happen this year for sure, I'm not sure about the right now though unless the liberals are able to paint the blame for it on Harper (He's playing with your money in a time of crisis!") type thing.

This year though, most people are pretty sure we will have one.

 

[Martin]

It's hard to take the Harper's word on anything anymore. During the campaign in September, his message was "everything's fine and dandy, look at Dion panicking!", then after the election around October it became "we might have a technical recession", in November he pretended nothing was going on and turned the fiscal update in a political hack job, and now we're supposed to believe he has somehow seen the light. Give me a break.

 

[smokeyjoe]

Originally posted by: RichardE

Edit: For those not familiar, in Canada they vote on the budget which is always a "confidence" matter. So if the budget does not pass it is seen as the government has lost the confidence and the government is either dissolved, or the opposition forms a government. (Really really simple explanation)

That's interesting.. I think I'll check out some more info on the Canucks

 

[NoShangriLa]

Harper is a regular politician who talk out both sides of his lips.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Maybe Harper can go run and hide behind the Queen again ...

 

[ZzZGuy]

I think the coalition is dead, but there might be a election depending on what Harper decides to do.

This whole mess started with the last government where the Conservatives acted like they had a majority government, and for a while it worked with the Conservatives making everything a confidence vote that if the Liberals didn't pass there would be a election, and the Liberals where too spineless to go ahead and force a election to end this BS. Only when the oppositions funding was threatened (by law for a few years now no donation by any individual or corporation over $1,100 IIRC, for every vote a party gets they get $1.75 public funding) did they finally call Harper out which seems to have caught him off guard.

Now if Harper remembers he has a minority government where he needs the support of the opposition to function then everything will be fine, but if he goes back to his old ways then there will probably be a election. The Liberals seen to be trying to regrow a pair of balls ahead of the next election (be it sooner or later).

 

[desy]

The coalition is dead
Stupid idea from the start, but Harper didn't give them much choice either.
I suspect though 18 months at the very outside before another election

 

[dennilfloss]

We can't get rid of the Harperites soon enough. :frown:

 

[Dark4ng3l]

Meh I hope there won't be another election im tired of having to vote for Harper just to have to go and vote for him again. The opposition needs to stop whining and let him run the country because we will vote him back in if it comes to that.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Originally posted by: Dark4ng3l
Meh I hope there won't be another election im tired of having to vote for Harper just to have to go and vote for him again. The opposition needs to stop whining and let him run the country because we will vote him back in if it comes to that.

'We' didn't really vote for him this time; but maybe next time he will win a real mandate.

You might as well face it though, Harper wouldn't give you a straight answer if the question was 'are both of your shoelaces tied?', unless it was politically expedient.

 

[Sedition]

So this is how normal people feel when me and a buddy talk about WOW...

 

[ZzZGuy]

Originally posted by: Dark4ng3l
Meh I hope there won't be another election im tired of having to vote for Harper just to have to go and vote for him again. The opposition needs to stop whining and let him run the country because we will vote him back in if it comes to that.

You forget that Harper has a minority government meaning he has to work with the opposition, which he doesn't seem to like. Canadians did not give him a majority government.