SCARY NEWS AND A SUGGESTIONS ON 2015 EARLY PARTY POSITIONS
This is the first MY CANADA article for 2015. The year has certainly started with some terrifying events in Canada and all across the world. The news media coverage of those items is sufficient that none of them needs repeating or commenting upon in this column.
Instead maybe posing a question with respect to whether the Arctic vortex causing wild freezing daytime temperatures is due to climate change might be more topical. Or is the unusual cold just a fact of life for people living north of the 49th parallel and even below that winter hardship line. Readers can be sure there are people with opinions on both sides of the issue.
One scary news item should probably be mentioned. The terrorist attack on the Paris France satire magazine killing the editor, publisher and a group of journalists is out of the ordinary. According to first reports the attack was carried out by highly trained efficient assassins and was well planned. The inference being the group was more than proficient at incurring the damage and killings that resulted. The situation leads to wondering if the war raging in the Middle East is about to become a major concern on the soil of the world that boasts democracy.
Attitudes and political direction is changing in My Canada with the Harper government taking notice of many things that were considered unimportant before electioneering began. Canada is now committed to accept about 3500 Syrian area refugees annually for the next five years or at least 10,000 over that period of time. The only question is whether the government if re-elected will set the rules for the actual promise to take effect. In the past when large numbers of similar refugees coming to Canada was announced the majority government directed process reduced the numbers actually accepted.
Relieving Veteran’s Affairs Minister Julian Fantino of the portfolio after PM Harper’s endorsement can only be contributed to the upcoming election creating an atmosphere that forces the ruling Conservative Party of Canada to change the staid direction while ruling with a majority. It appears the CPC government that in the past indicated items like the Fantino replacement were off the negotiating table has changed. Of course it is early in the campaign and so much can happen to change the direction of all the parties and for that matter the issues that will count at election time.
The New Democratic Party platform is pretty well established but the direction of the party with respect to its leader Tom Mulcair is fluid it seems. Most Canadians at this time think his fortunes for a strong election finish are dim, but the wily accomplished debater and experienced politician might surprise people as election time approaches. Like every party there is probably some internal maneuvering happening that the public doesn’t know about. Once settled the NDP might just rebound from the lower poling numbers of late.
Then there is Justin Trudeau and the always rebounding Liberal Party of Canada. It is difficult to establish if the so-called errors in judgment attributed to the Liberal leader are actually gaffs or calculated risks to get attention now for use as reversed psychology when the campaign gets heated. Although his approval numbers have been dropping the smart thinking is probably that it is easier to regain an advantage than battle to hold that lead as the election approaches.
Stephen Harper is undoubtedly depending on the economy to strengthen Alberta and Ontario fortunes to gain momentum adding jobs and allowing for enough surplus dollars in the next budget to buy votes with some tax breaks and projected future economic gains for workers and families. It would be foolish for the CPC to do anything other than stay the course.
Tom Mulcair is still an unknown quantity. He must cater to party base while instituting more widely acceptable reforms to the party traditional social democratic planning to retain a good portion of the votes from won by Jack Layton’s programming. A monumental task but one that Mulcair as mentioned might be capable of pulling it off if Justin Trudeau and the Liberals run into party dissention or are forced to change the program as constantly repeated “a better life for the middle class.”
Justin Trudeau’s middle class betterment theme will not be a winning platform unless the party comes up with some programs that make the 18 to 30 year old recent graduates believe there is hope for jobs in their chosen vocations. Another challenge will be pacifying the Liberal senior voter’s wonderment about the newly reorganized party dedication to their diminishing income plight. The final and possibly biggest Trudeau challenge will be to get the under 40 voters to cast that all-important ballot.
Instead maybe posing a question with respect to whether the Arctic vortex causing wild freezing daytime temperatures is due to climate change might be more topical. Or is the unusual cold just a fact of life for people living north of the 49th parallel and even below that winter hardship line. Readers can be sure there are people with opinions on both sides of the issue.
One scary news item should probably be mentioned. The terrorist attack on the Paris France satire magazine killing the editor, publisher and a group of journalists is out of the ordinary. According to first reports the attack was carried out by highly trained efficient assassins and was well planned. The inference being the group was more than proficient at incurring the damage and killings that resulted. The situation leads to wondering if the war raging in the Middle East is about to become a major concern on the soil of the world that boasts democracy.
Attitudes and political direction is changing in My Canada with the Harper government taking notice of many things that were considered unimportant before electioneering began. Canada is now committed to accept about 3500 Syrian area refugees annually for the next five years or at least 10,000 over that period of time. The only question is whether the government if re-elected will set the rules for the actual promise to take effect. In the past when large numbers of similar refugees coming to Canada was announced the majority government directed process reduced the numbers actually accepted.
Relieving Veteran’s Affairs Minister Julian Fantino of the portfolio after PM Harper’s endorsement can only be contributed to the upcoming election creating an atmosphere that forces the ruling Conservative Party of Canada to change the staid direction while ruling with a majority. It appears the CPC government that in the past indicated items like the Fantino replacement were off the negotiating table has changed. Of course it is early in the campaign and so much can happen to change the direction of all the parties and for that matter the issues that will count at election time.
The New Democratic Party platform is pretty well established but the direction of the party with respect to its leader Tom Mulcair is fluid it seems. Most Canadians at this time think his fortunes for a strong election finish are dim, but the wily accomplished debater and experienced politician might surprise people as election time approaches. Like every party there is probably some internal maneuvering happening that the public doesn’t know about. Once settled the NDP might just rebound from the lower poling numbers of late.
Then there is Justin Trudeau and the always rebounding Liberal Party of Canada. It is difficult to establish if the so-called errors in judgment attributed to the Liberal leader are actually gaffs or calculated risks to get attention now for use as reversed psychology when the campaign gets heated. Although his approval numbers have been dropping the smart thinking is probably that it is easier to regain an advantage than battle to hold that lead as the election approaches.
Stephen Harper is undoubtedly depending on the economy to strengthen Alberta and Ontario fortunes to gain momentum adding jobs and allowing for enough surplus dollars in the next budget to buy votes with some tax breaks and projected future economic gains for workers and families. It would be foolish for the CPC to do anything other than stay the course.
Tom Mulcair is still an unknown quantity. He must cater to party base while instituting more widely acceptable reforms to the party traditional social democratic planning to retain a good portion of the votes from won by Jack Layton’s programming. A monumental task but one that Mulcair as mentioned might be capable of pulling it off if Justin Trudeau and the Liberals run into party dissention or are forced to change the program as constantly repeated “a better life for the middle class.”
Justin Trudeau’s middle class betterment theme will not be a winning platform unless the party comes up with some programs that make the 18 to 30 year old recent graduates believe there is hope for jobs in their chosen vocations. Another challenge will be pacifying the Liberal senior voter’s wonderment about the newly reorganized party dedication to their diminishing income plight. The final and possibly biggest Trudeau challenge will be to get the under 40 voters to cast that all-important ballot.
