You know there’s a federal election call coming soon because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denies it.
Oh, we’re inclined to believe him when he says the buckets of money he’s just distributed in B.C. have nothing to do with a pending election call. Just a coincidence. Sure, and maybe we can sell him some SNC-Lavalin shares to see if he’s being honourable.
The fact is there will be an election in the fall, probably in October. Most everyone can agree on that and the leaders are already going into election mode, led by Trudeau’s very timely visit to the west where his support in B.C. and Alberta is wavering more than other parts of the country.
He knows it and the outpouring of cash for transit projects in the Lower Mainland might be just enough to sway a few voters by the time they go to the polls.
Coming out of the pandemic, this is an interesting time to assess where we’re at both in our local ridings and across Canada.
Many feel Trudeau has already been in office way too long. He’s been the P.M. since Nov. 4, 2015, but it already seems like far more than coming up to six years.
Another term will put him beyond the time the U.S. allows a president to sit. But we don’t have a stipulation in this country so Trudeau could remain there for a while if Canadians don’t find another alternative.
The Conservatives haven’t found a leader who knocks the socks off people and Erin O’Toole seems no different. Jagmeet Singh comes across as a credible leader, but the NDP doesn’t have enough widespread power to hold office.
So that leads us back to Trudeau, who’s finally cut his hair and going about his boyish charismatic ways, probably to win the votes of younger females as a key to forming government again.
Locally, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone to unseat the NDP’s Alistair MacGregor as MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford. But Paul Manly could be vulnerable in Nanaimo-Ladysmith despite a sizeable win last time, with the Green Party in an upheaval nationally and other parties surely coming after that seat.