Embrace the lengthy election campaign
Some people have questioned the calling of a marathon federal election, but let’s make the most of it. It is a valuable opportunity for Canadians to take stock of the kind of country we want to live in — the values and priorities we cherish — and reflect on the visions that political leaders will be articulating on the steady march to the Oct. 19 vote.
While the 11-week campaign is a long one, it holds fast to the voting date that had been prescribed and puts a stop to any whiff of the Stephen Harper Conservatives using public money to curry the favour of voters. There’s been some speculation that Harper chose a long campaign window because the Tories have more money in the bank, and can outlast the other parties. But as Kent Hehr, now the Liberal candidate in Calgary-Centre, points out, the endeavour will be about much more than deep pockets that finance attack ads and slick campaign stops.
“Money is not all election campaigns are about; they’re about ideas and meeting with constituents,” said Hehr, who has segued into federal politics from his role as a Liberal MLA. “We see the announcement for what it is: a government trying to cling to power.”
It’s fair to say that any party would attempt to cling to power. It would be an odd bunch that would deliberately give up the reins of government and all the prestige and trappings that go along with holding a majority of seats in the House of Commons. But Hehr is certainly correct on one point: elections are about ideas.
One matter that needs to be discussed in coming days is the failure to reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States to buy our oil. Projects that should be duly vetted and studied are at risk of being held up by special interests, including premiers. Certainly there should be thorough investigation into the merits of pipeline proposals, but there’s increasing risk of the process being guided more by whim than wisdom. It would be welcomed if one of the political parties were to recognize that the federal government has a role to play in navigating matters of national interest.
The election is very much a three-way race at this point. The possibility of a minority government, or perhaps a coalition, may well be in the cards, depending on the ability of one of the leaders to win over the minds and hearts of Canadians. The election of the Rachel Notley government in Alberta is certainly proof that voters are occasionally willing to embrace change.