I like their title (”Challenging the Grit spin cycle”), but when I think about this great country’s liberal government, words that are far less “clean” and “cleaning-related” spring to mind. Of course I’m not the editorial board of the good Toronto Sun, and this isn’t my lead editorial this morning.
There’s so much election spinning going on in Ottawa that we’re feeling nauseous. Not at the near certainty that there’s going to be an election campaign over Christmas, mind you.
Heck, no. Let the politicians suffer by having to go door-knocking in December. It builds character.
No, it’s all of the “opposition parties are playing politics with the election date” spin coming out of the Liberals and their friends in the parliamentary press gallery that’s making us reach for the antacids.
Yes, heaven forbid that any party other than the natural governing party of Canada be allowed to set the date for the next federal election!
The Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Quebecois issued an ultimatum to the Liberals: Either voluntarily commit to an early February election, or they’ll pass a vote of non-confidence in the House of Commons, sending the country into a Christmas election campaign that could culminate in a vote as early as Jan. 9.
The Liberals consider that playing politics with the vote. Oh, really?
For over a year now, the Liberals have been doing nothing but playing politics with election dates in order to avoid a well-deserved drubbing at the polls from Canadians angry about AdScam.
Remember that in May 2004, the Liberals shut down a House of Commons committee probing the sponsorship scandal in order to call an unnecessary election, trying to bury AdScam before it harmed their electoral chances too badly. The tactic worked—the Grits hung on to a minority government.
Remember, too, that in the spring of this year, when the Liberals were falling in the polls thanks to the AdScam hearings, and the government was on the ropes in the House of Commons facing daily non-confidence votes, Martin managed to manoeuvre himself out of a June or July election by promising he’d call a vote within 30 days after the release of the Gomery report. But the Liberals turned around and interpreted Martin’s pledge as meaning 30 days after the second volume of Justice John Gomery’s report, due in February.
No party that releases a vote-buying fiscal update, as Finance Minister Ralph Goodale did this week, should be lecturing any other party about playing electoral politics.
Getting rid of the Liberals in a January election would be the best belated Christmas present Canada could ever get.
While you’re at the Toronto Sun, read Peter Worthington’s column. He sounds a little downtrodden perhaps, but he gives you something to think about.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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