With a minority government likely in the offing – possibly Conservative, possibly Liberal – we’re seeing a spate of new articles about post-electoral scenarios and the role of the Governor General. While some of them get it more or less right, (my own offering a couple of weeks ago here), into the middle of this, Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch sticks his nose in and starts making trouble of his usual sort – deliberately misconstruing the system to his own ends. And then, unfortunately, As It Happens picked it up and ran with it without someone credible to counter it. Fortunately, Philippe Lagassé was already ahead of that game earlier yesterday morning, followed by a smackdown of Conacher later in the evening. I’ll leave you to it.
Dear Democracy Watch: The GG is not there to do your bidding. #ResponsibleGovernment #civicliteracy #elxn42 pic.twitter.com/BDaybIvl9M
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) October 13, 2015
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/653914291637198848
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/653914770098290690
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/653915706283659264
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/653915926199410688
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/653916331650252800
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/653916666636713984
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/653917027585916928
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/653919426622943232
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/653919762775437313
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/653920023229132800
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/654124638788653056
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/654124746611683328
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/654124846054404096
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/654124979273908224
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/654125100501872641
https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/654125513863098368
On the campaign:
- Stephen Harper kept up the cash register shtick, while he got a visit from the Ford brothers, and drew smaller crowds to his events.
- Thomas Mulcair continued to defy the polls by talking about an NDP majority government, then bashed NAFTA, said he’d defeat a Harper throne speech, and suddenly was in favour of legalizing marijuana.
- Justin Trudeau was talking tough about Vladimir Putin.
- Gilles Duceppe said he also wouldn’t support a Harper minority, but he has in the past if there were enough goodies for Quebec in the budget.
Good reads:
- Voter turnout in advanced polls was 3.6 million – 71 per cent more than in 2011. (Mind you, there was an extra day in there). Nicely done, Canada.
- Conservatives are now claiming that Trudeau is in favour of mandatory brothels, weed stores and drug injection sites. No, seriously.
- Jennifer Robson take a critical look at the Conservative platform, and how it compares to the other two main parties’.
- Kathleen Wynne said her provincial pension plan could be dropped if Trudeau is elected and starts to reform CPP.
- Colby Cosh writes about Harper’s narrative that the election is no longer about him, when clearly it is.
- Stephen Gordon makes the case for optimism about the TPP.
- Over at Loonie Politics, I wonder if the hype over the TPP isn’t overblown – and distracting from the real trade issue.
Odds and ends:
The NDP accuse the Liberals of spreading a rumour that Nycole Turmel is terminally ill, but the Liberals vehemently deny it.
Here’s an update on the mission in Iraq.
Catherine & I were honoured to meet with @MFFahmy11 and his wife Marwa — a family that has been through so much. —TM pic.twitter.com/OYWkvqdBSs
— Tom Mulcair (@ThomasMulcair) October 13, 2015