It is. However, maybe three provinces have already had elections and that was before so many (and too few) were vaccinated.
I see your point, and you are right. This is a little different. I would prefer it if there was not an election now, but the main reason is presumably someone thought a majority was possible. The Liberals are polling five points lower since disclosing the rumours - so this could easily be a lot of noise for a similar outcome.
I’m working on a new Conspiracy Theory: That’s exactly what Trudeau wants from this election!
Now, bear with me on this, it makes perfect sense!
He spent four years handling Trump, and did a pretty good job of that. Then, he’s dealt with a year and a half of the pandemic, and again done a pretty decent job. But of course, the “Trudope” contingent are simply unwilling to admit that he’s done anything well in his time as PM, and now he’s just tired and pissed off, and wants a break.
So he calls an obviously cynical snap election at a time when no one else really wants one, knowing that this will piss off just enough voters so that he loses his minority government status, so he can stick the Conservatives (hopefully) or the NDP (not as good, but he’ll take it) with the problems of having to form a government, and then actually govern. Can you imagine the Conservatives under Plenty O’Tool trying to navigate the fourth wave, while desperately begging their recalcitrant followers to get vaccinated? That stubborn last 15% or so become all their problem.
And Trudeau can spend the fall and winter posting “Miss me yet?” memes on Facebook. When the Conservatives eventually screw up enough to lose the confidence of Parliament, and we get a Spring election in 2022, Trudeau pulls a Trudeau, and rides in to regain the House with a majority, and rules over us with an iron fist.
Okay, maybe that iron fist part is over the top, but the rest makes sense!
In other news, I think he really is going to call the election, because my Facebook has been inundated with Trudeau updates bragging about everything he’s been doing. New orders for more vaccines, getting more provinces on board with cheap child care, working to improve long term care for seniors, and a few more I’m probably forgetting.
You could be right, but more in a ‘win a majority‘, OR, what you posited!
It will apparently be called tomorrow (and I will delete the ? in the thread title). I cannot see myself ever voting for a party that installed a creationist as Minister of Science (and Industry) and I cannot see the NDP forming a government. Besides, I have spoken in person to my MP (he came knocking on my door) and I like him a lot.
A reminder to those who are worried about dealing with covid during an election that Canada held elections during both world wars and somehow managed to carry on.
I’m more worried that he’ll use Covid as an excuse to go to mail-in voting and other non-standard procedures that will enrage a third of the country if he wins a majority.
The more conspiratorially minded will accuse him of holding the election during a pandemic specifically so he can change the rules to ones that favor his party. Whether true or not, undermining faith in election integrity is a bad thing. So let’s hope they don’t do that.
Let’s hope the Conservative party does not start with idiot conspiracy theories and bitching about mail ballots like mini-Trumpers.
Let’s hope.
BC ha a provincial election recently and mail-in ballots were used without anyone getting concerned. Why would a federal mail-in ballot excite 1/3 of the population and make them think “fraud”?
And I see the Conservative party has unveiled its first major policy platform plank: Trudeau is a poopy head who just wants a majority. No fair!
Even their own MP’s think this is pathetic
Aren’t you reinforcing the idea with this very post?
The politicos in Canada do NOT run elections, Elections Canada does. They have a world renowned reputation as a completely fair, non-partisan organization. There are no Secretaries of State certifying ballots like in the US.
Yeah, this. Anyone taking a shot at Elections Canada will have an uphill battle. In fact, even trying this will probably cost them votes, even more than I think calling the election now will cost Trudeau.
The Battle of the Falaise Gap wasn’t contagious.
The link seemed to be stuck in a loading loop (on my comp anyway) so FWIW, here goes:
The “majority” thing at the very end - yeah, meh. The Babylon Bee would be impressed.
Of course the point was simply that governments do not cease to function just because there is an election. If your point is going to voting booths may expose people to covid, that too is easily fixed.
As my name hints, I am no fan of the “Westminster system,” and am no fan of the Liberals. But the objections raised to holding an election seem odd to me, and I think can largely be reduced to “no fair, my team isn’t ready to play yet.” Fine and fair enough, but hardly devoid of partisan motives.
I went to buy a book yesterday. The busy big book store did not have it, but the small book store in a popular local mall had a copy.
The parking lot was packed. The mall was packed. The food court was packed. People were masked, but to say going to the mall is possible and spending a few minutes in a church basement is not seems slightly wrong. Of course, things could change again.
I am a Liberal supporter, but choosing to call an election in a Westminster system is entirely partisan and the prerogative of the PM. Bill C-16 was supposed to take this out of the picture, but it really just reduces the effective maximum length to 4 years plus the time to the 3rd Monday in October.
Of course it is entirely partisan. Fixing an election date doesn’t change much, though, as our neighbours to the south have shown.
Agreed. Plus, mail-in ballots. And the BC election had stations, well-ventilated spaced, and with limits to occupancy,where you dropped off your completed ballot. It went smoothly enough. Of course, BC also pioneered the single transferable ballot in 1952, and it took 6 weeks to tabulate the results. Somehow, the province and parliamentary democracy survived. People’s faith in the system has less to do with the form of voting. I presume some people thought the secret ballot was a bad idea and preferred the old system of declaring your vote in front of candidates, employers, and goons
We can officially remove the question mark from the title of this thread.
Will the Greens self-destruct? Will the People’s Party pull enough votes from the Conservatives to be a spoiler? Will the NDP gain enough votes to pull ahead? Will the Liberals get the majority they are hoping for? If not, will the NDP continue to prop them up?
We will know 5 weeks tomorrow!
If exposure to COVID-19 was easily fixed it wouldn’t be around anymore. Elections should be roughly once every four years unless there’s a good reason they shouldn’t be and there is no good reason for this; if it was Stephen Harper doing this people would be shrieking.
Do they even still exist? They will not be a factor.