New Zealand officials told The Canadian Press last week that the talks likely wouldn’t wait until after the campaign – a sentiment echoed in media reports Monday by John Key, Harper’s New Zealand counterpart. The campaign will be the longest in Canada since 1872, but each party has been unofficially campaigning for months.
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Add several political scandals in the Conservative ranks, and the kind of concerns about stagnant wages and growing income inequality that are familiar to much of the Western world, and it’s a recipe for electoral upheaval.
Mulcair, who took aim Sunday at Harper’s record of seven consecutive deficits, pledged to create jobs by “actively championing our manufacturing sector” and to boost the economy with a $15-per-day daycare program the NDP argues will help more parents enter the workforce. “9 out of 10 Canadians will be better off in hard dollars and sense under our plan”. Suspended senators Patrick Brazeau, Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin make appearances as do former Harper aide Bruce Carson (“Illegal lobbying”, says the ad) and fundraiser Irving Gerstein (“Misleading voters”).
The popular mood in favour of a change can leave Mr Harper vulnerable to stay at the mercy of the two center-left opposition parties, in case he loses majority in the House of Commons.
The national party leaders are Harper, Conservative; Justin Trudeau, Liberal and Thomas Mulcair, New Democratic; Elizabeth May, Green and Gilles Duceppe, Bloc Quebecois. Its profile and credibility grew in May when the party’s branch in Alberta ended 4 1/2 decades of Conservative rule in that province.
However, it appears to be a horse race to the finish line October 19, as all three main parties have a legitimate shot at forming a government.
Harper, 56, said the election is about keeping Canadians safe from terrorist attacks and the economy strong and.
That advantage exists “whether we call this campaign or not”, he said.
Winnipeg South Centre NDP candidate Matt Henderson says people he has met are engaged in the campaign.
“Now is not the time for political correctness, inexperienced governance or an ideological unwillingness to act”, said Prime Minister Harper.
“This is no time for risky plans that could harm our future”, the leader of the Conservatives said.
Elections in Canada used to be a bit of a sprint, the last five averaging just under six weeks from start to finish. Opposition parties will argue the need to end Conservative fiscal austerity.
The Liberals haven’t elected an MP in Calgary since 1968, but Trudeau said he likes a challenge.
“It’s not necessarily fair to blame the federal government for the collapse in oil prices, but there are some deeper problems”, de Clercy said. “There’s not a single star among Mulcair’s caucus in Quebec”.
Trudeau responded by saying that Harper compromises Canadian interests by not working alongside those who do not share his ideologies. Elections Canada requires third parties to register if they spend $500 or more during the writ period.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper paid a visit to Laval, Que., to begin his first full day on the campaign trail.
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“It remains to be seen how he will withstand close scrutiny”, Johnston said. “I am ready to do what my opponents won’t – ask our wealthiest to pay more tax so our middle class can pay less”, Trudeau says.
