The talk is getting louder that Prime Minister Harper will go ahead and call a fall election. What is the reason? Apparently, Arctic sovereignty and economic stewardship, according to national media. Harper also says that the Liberal's "green shift" plan is so opposed to the Conservatives that it is very difficult to work with them on economic matters. If the government in power did have a majority it would make them more secure, hence, be a less hassled by opposition when trying to achieve its goals. He told reporters that Opposition leaders have not been returning calls to discuss the government's fall agenda, and the outlook did not look promising for productivity. So Harper has a point there.
Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion says Harper is panicking, and inventing reasons to call an election. That's politics - the opposition in the last year and a half have been tempting to bring down the government, but the polls of the day told them they did not have the public's support to win an election.
This could be a case of "be careful what you wish for". An August 8 Angus Reid poll showed the Conservatives at 35%, Liberals at 30%, and the NDP at 20%. Dion's criticism of Harper side-stepping his fixed election date legislation, was rebuffed by Harper when he replied that it only applied to Majority governments - he got you there Dion.
Still, couldn't Harper wait till the fixed election date of October, 2009? It's quite possible that the result will be another Minority government anyway, so does that mean another near future election yet again?
If someone declared war on Canada I think the parties would come together fairly quick with some consensus on how to defend ourselves, but I am not so sure that Arctic sovereignty is something that requires a third election in such a short period. At this point, it seems like a waste of time, money and effort.
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