Tricks of the Trade?

Ah, the federal election, by now a staple of Canadian culture. Canada has had three elections in the last five years, which is about how long one prime minister’s term is supposed to last. Maple syrup, hockey, attack ads.

This is the nature of Canada’s government at the moment: Stephen Harper is the prime minister in a Conservative minority, which essentially means that the federal government cannot pass any motion without the livid Liberals stopping it in its tracks. Don’t get me wrong: this set-up is a good thing when your prime minister is Conservative, because a Conservative agenda generally involves stuff like cutting an already razor-thin arts budget and spending that money on useless fighter jets.

Harper’s tagline for this election? “Coalition! Coalition!” This word refers to the possibility of the Liberals joining forces with the NDP and Bloc Quebecois to overtake the Conservative minority. The only sure way to avoid this is for the Conservatives to win a majority in this election, which will mean that they can do whatever they want. How convenient. This is an idea that plays on the Anglo-Canadian population’s fear of the Bloc Quebecois, who speak French and are therefore scary.

But where is Canada to find political solace? Are they to have faith in Liberal leader Michael “Iggy” Ignatieff’s apparently raging nationalism, as illustrated by his bizarre coast-to-coast meet-and-greet summer tour? The tour had a rock and roll feel to it, except that it took place in an RV, a touch decidedly more Spinal Tap than Rolling Stones. It’s tough to buy Ignatieff’s pro-Canada message when he has spent most of his life in England and the United States. I don’t subscribe to the view that this necessarily makes him an invalid leader, but it’s tough to ignore the irony here. At the English language debate, NDP leader Jack Layton accused Ignatieff of missing the majority of parliamentary sittings over the last year, more than any other member of parliament. To that I say: let’s not be too hard on the guy. Maybe he sent a proxy.

Speaking of NDP leader Jack Layton: he seems like a nice man, and he’s also the candidate that demands the most attention. I mean, he looks right into the camera, daring you to ignore him, proud of that refined moustache and bald head. Layton has also long been the most reactive candidate, second only to the Green Party of Canada’s perpetually upset Elizabeth May (who was barred from both the English and French language debates, despite the fact that the Green Party of Canada has a number of supporters throughout the country, more than twice that of the Bloc Quebecois). Of all the party leaders, Layton brings the most personable feel to the table. He’s been head of the NDP party since 2003, and has long been the only party leader that seems like he might sit down for a crap every once in a while (the uncomfortably upright Harper and Ignatieff both smack of adult diapers). Problem is: he has no chance. His biggest achievement in this election so far is broadening his popularity in Quebec, where he has absolutely no hope of winning seats. Guess who the Quebecois tend to vote for… 

It cannot be forgotten that Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the cause of this whole fiasco. The budget he released to the house last month was unpassable, which he knew. Harper was pretty sure he could leverage the public’s outrage over yet another election into a comfortable majority stronghold. After all, the election was officially called by the opposition. This is political trickery at its most transparent, wasting the public’s time and money to attempt a good guy act. The nice thing is: people are starting to realize Harper’s tricks, and a Conservative majority is far from certain, though it is of course still possible.

We’ll find out where this circus wraps up on May 2^nd, once the polls have been counted and the appropriate votes thrown away.