[ad_1]
Commentary
On September 20, Canadians will vote in their second federal election for the first time in two years, about two years ahead of schedule.
No one is surprised by Justin Trudeau’s call for elections. Canada’s minority government has been withdrawn, either by a vote of no confidence or intentionally, and will last only 18 months on average. Despite the turbulent times of the pandemic, the Trudeau administration is sitting well in polls. Currently, the pandemic is somewhat restrained and the economy seems to be recovering. The Liberal Party wants to rob the majority government while conditions are in place. It is a sound strategic decision from a political point of view.
Now that the clock is ticking, the opposition must clearly define who they are and what their goals are. If polls should be believed, the Canadians have revealed that they are ready to support Trudeau despite his stupidity.
In 2015, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) launched a campaign based on convincing voters that Trudeau was not ready to take power. Voters responded by giving the Liberal Party a majority.
In 2019, the opposition hoped that a scandal, including several past Blackface incidents at WE Charity and Trudeau, would end his reign. Trudeau remains prime minister while the Liberal Party was pulled down to the minority government, and he seems to have regained popularity.
Canadians may be ready for change, but it’s clear that they want to vote for someone rather than against someone. It is not enough to simply point out the shortcomings of Trudeau and his government. Challenging parties need to be proactive in differentiating themselves from the Liberal Party and organizing what role they want to play in parliament. They don’t have much time left.
The Greens are confused by political conflict. The best they can hope for is to integrate existing support enough to maintain one or two seats in key riding. They may also stick to ideological purism and their focus on the environment.
Bloc Québécois maintains the mission of Soft Quebecist policy, which puts Quebec first. Leader Eve François Blanche will focus on increasing the number of seats in BQ in Quebec and will not have to worry about other parts of the country. This makes his campaign goals simple and focused. Quebec will be a battlefield with many hotly contested seats in this election. BQs need to carefully target their riding and field strong local candidates.
The NDP under Jagmate Singh will have to choose a lane. NDP was the first to open its doors with the official platform release. They seem to want to appeal to the devoted left with a fairly shallow message of “taxing the rich.” The concept, of course, appeals to the core of leftist voters, but does it separate voters from liberals?
Shin has repeatedly supported the Liberal Party in a vote of confidence over the past few years. The NDP needs to straddle the line between practicalism and idealism in parliament, as it continues to focus on the pursuit of socialism, apparently trying to win the election. The closest NDP has ever taken power is as a balance of power opposition, but it is a weak campaign point. For now, it looks as if Shin intends to increase seat hold with a left-handed ride without trying to expand support.
As the only possible candidate for the majority government, CPC under Erin O’Toole has the most difficult task of all. O’Toole has struggled to maintain party support since gaining leadership. The Fragment Party, formed by disgruntled conservatives, is aiming for a CPC support base, but the party does not seem to be able to gain traction with the average Canadian.
O’Toole’s strategy was to try to mitigate CPC by working closely with what the Liberal Party proposes. When Outur flipped and accepted the carbon tax, he activated the Maverick Party and endangered urban seats in Western Canada. Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party got a boost from fiscal conservatism when he yelled at wealth inequality. When Outur kicked Derek Sloan out of the party, the Social Conservatives sought a new home for their vote. The strategy seems to be to make the Liberal Party and CPC indistinguishable except for leadership, which is not working. Trudeau continues to win the popularity contest.
Many things can change in the relatively short duration of the campaign. Voters are stressed and frustrated after experiencing a long-term pandemic. Voters can direct their support to different political parties if the right vision is presented.
But it’s not enough to just approach voters and say, “I’m not Justin Trudeau, so please vote for me.” Electors want to see something positive about accepting, and Trudeau Liberal Party challengers need to find and offer that platform within the next five weeks.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Cory Morgan is a columnist and business owner based in Calgary, Alberta.
[ad_2]