07.18.2015 10:05 AM

Here is what is happening in Canadian politics

 

That’s what has been going on, politically, for the past while. That’s how it is in the Summer, usually. 

That works best for incumbent governments. Nobody is paying attention, nothing to get too upset about.  But when things start getting active in a month (and they will), then what?

Comments open. Say something about nothing!

20 Comments

  1. davie says:

    I think that the drought and wild fires in Western Canada might have an impact on the federal election. I am not sure which way that will go, but I think that water restrictions, poor crops, acrid tasting haze, and air quality warnings in urban communities will be on people’s minds this fall.

    • Ray says:

      Because drought and wildfires are new phenomena to Western Canada…got it.

      • davie says:

        If this year is just an anomaly, then a simplistic reply is dead on. I am sure some will take that stance come the fall, and I am just a sure an increasing number of people will be wondering if this is trend that will become even more of a problem for us. This will affect their thinking about voting.

        • Ray says:

          Without getting into the various natural causes, there have been 40 drought cycles in Western Canada in the past two centuries – the worst of which began in 1999 and ended a decade ago. If you want to blame Harper for this particular hot, dry summer – good luck with that.

          • davie says:

            WK’s cue says that nothing political is happening over the summer.
            I say the drought and wildfires in Western Canada will have a political impact because they will be on people’s minds when they go to the polls this fall. I hesitate to predict how.
            I mentioned no one.
            A paranoid Conservative might read what I wrote and see a name, but there really is no name there.
            If you think what is happening out here will have no political impact this fall, fine.

            But as for claiming that I named anyone to blame, I did not.
            Try to follow the puck.

          • Ray says:

            And rather than paranoia, I offered a rebuttal to your suggestion. That said, your post left little need for name-dropping. Cheers Davie.

    • Peter says:

      Sure, because nothing says Stephen Harper like the acrid tasting haze of a wildfire.

      • davie says:

        Could be…I do not have a sense of what this spring and summer (I do not have records at hand about drought on Van Island or the Lower Mainland will do to westerner’s vote choices, but I think the situation is sever enough that it will affect people’s choices.
        You choose to see it as a slam against the present party in power. I am just not sure which way people wil go, but it will be on their minds.

  2. W the K - No, not Warren says:

    Nothing? Good.

  3. Fan590 says:

    I think the Liberals can bounce back if they make this election all about the economy. Many people I know are struggling with the job market all around the country.

    Harper is all about “austerity” and balancing the budget. Sure, this is a good idea when times are good. However, for a lot of people times are not good. Trudeau and Liberals need to talk stimulus and jobs, jobs, jobs and harken back to the days when PM Jean (in my opinion) put the country back on the right track in ’93 after Mulroney’s last few years.

    Trudeau needs to stop making this about Trudeau and more about creating good jobs. We don’t always need to see his face everywhere and his sincere look because it’s becoming a bit of an ego trip. He’s beginning to act like a certain ombudsman in a certain province(!)

    We need to see a strong focus on economic growth, jobs, and getting people back to work. Can he do it? Can his team? Let’s see. Get rid of all the preening and start repeating economic talking points of Liberals=stimulus/jobs, Harper=no jobs, austerity, the wrong plan for these economic times which may get harder with potential housing issues, and low oil/gas/resource prices for year to come.

    Liberals have also given the Dippers an open door to look like the alternative to the Harper economic plan. They need to show what the NDP will do when it comes to constraining the economy, giving too much power to certain unions, and how frightening their ‘team’ really is for the economy (not social policy, focus on the economy).

    This will get a lot of flak here, but I think this is all about the Liberals ability to realize what the core issue really is out there (people can’t find work or are worried they will lose their job). Then they have to show they are the choice for a smart, level-headed economic plan vs. Harper’s austerity plan vs. NDP Greece-style pie in the sky potential destruction (especially of the housing market, which requires smart handling which the NDP won’t be up to at all). Justin needs to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty, and I’m not talking about his use of hair gel.

    Team Trudeau, are you listening????

    Have a nice week-end folks!

  4. Student501 says:

    Sounds like the “Nothing Pitch” is being made:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQnaRtNMGMI

  5. Tim White says:

    I’ll have another, there’s lots more on the door (bottom shelf) of the old fridge that’s on your right (left) when you come back out to the porch (deck, veranda, lawn, dock). Help yourself if you want one as well. Anybody else need one?

  6. MississaugaPeter says:

    I am hearing that there is a renewed focus on the Atlantic. Polling is showing the Liberal bulwark is on the verge of collapsing.

    As I said here before and will say it again now, the NDP will probably be ahead of the Liberals in the Maritimes by the end of the summer.

  7. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Warren,

    Remember what Harper told Mansbridge about a spring election: that he had no idea where that was coming from. I’ll clue him in on where that was coming from — from smart people. The fall will not be too kind as Harper is about to find out.

  8. Michael says:

    It will be interesting to see whether or not Harper gets a small bump in the polls after the UCCB stats rolling out this week. Otherwise, the Old Duff returns on August 11.

  9. Justin says:

    The Leger poll is evidence that the Bloc’s bounce is merely a dead cat bounce. The BLOC is at 19%, down from 26% when Duceppe first became leader, and the NDP is up to 37%. If this continues Duceppe won’t even present a roadblock to the NDP in Quebec. And unlike Ekos this is a QC-centered poll so they have more credibility in the province.

    What should be concerning for progressives is the uptick for the CPC, up to 23%. This could win them a dozen seats, perhaps even more if the left becomes more split. So it’s more imperative than ever for Liberals and Bloc voters who want change to strategically vote for the NDP in Quebec ridings where the CPC has a chance.

    • Peter says:

      For almost ten years we’ve been listening to Liberals telling Dippers why they should vote for them and Dippers telling Liberals why they should vote for them, all in the name of their putative common priority of saving the land from the evil Stevie. Given their abject failure to cooperate on anything as well has Warren’s reminders of how much they hate each other, I’ve come to suspect that there are many, many supporters of both parties who would choose another term for the Cons if it guaranteed them second place over a third place finish with the other winning. A lot of overheated anti-Con rhetoric seems more in the nature of intramural taunts among self-styled progressives. I don’t know what will happen this fall, but I’m expecting a take-no-prisoners bloodbath between the Libs and NDP.

      • doconnor says:

        “Given their abject failure to cooperate on anything”

        It was the Liberals who rejected the coalition and they ostensibly still rejected it.

        • Peter says:

          Of course they did. Bad Liberals. Bad, bad Liberals.

          As I recall, the Liberals rejected it when polls showed the Canadian public was completely against it. That’s why the prorogation ( a.k.a. shutting down Parliament) “outrage” never took hold outside of partisan circles.

  10. EdwardG says:

    Things are happening but most Canadians are not paying attention during the summer doldrums.

    The third party attack ads are being rolled out before the writ is dropped and some are quite interesting, like these from Working Canadians at:

    http://www.workingcanadians.ca/news/media/

    The one I find amusing from Working Canadians is on youtube posted on June ’15 and entitled “Trudeau’s high tax agenda” at:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbOizDnKR30

    I wonder if the election campaign will get this down and dirty by the big parties after the writ is dropped and the campaigning starts seriously.

    Will this stuff resonate with Canadians at large or will it be ignored as over-the-top? Is it attack ad testing time now?

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