The Martlet

Just like our southern neighbours, Canadians will cast a critical vote this fall. On Oct. 14, voters will have their say in a referendum on the performance of our Parliament and who we want to lead it.

After weeks of speculation, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, to dissolve Parliament on Sept. 7 so that formal campaigning could begin. Although the Harper government passed Bill C-16, a law establishing fixed election dates, Prime Minister Harper cited a “dysfunctional parliament” as the reason for rejecting the legal date set for Oct. 19, 2009.

Most polling data indicates a close race between the ruling Conservatives and the opposition Liberals, with each party hovering in the 30-35 per cent range nationally for months before the election call.

Canada’s other main national parties, the New Democratic Party and the Green Party, are campaigning to grow their share of the vote from their current ranges between 15-20 per cent and 8-12 per cent respectively.

The Conservative Party, flush with cash compared to other parties, ran pre-election ads aimed at Liberal leader Stéphane Dion and his Green Shift carbon tax proposal after spending the summer months outlining their party’s agenda through mail-out fliers.

The election, scheduled ahead of the closely-watched November American presidential election, comes as Canada’s economy stagnates amid the global economic slowdown, as records are broken for climate change-induced Canadian arctic icepack melting and as several more Canadian soldiers die in Afghanistan at the hands of the resurgent Taliban.

According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, the Conservatives made $19.2 billion in spending promises between June 2 and September 6. Some of the funds include an $80 million loan to Ford to re-open an engine manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ontario, and $4 billion to Quebec for infrastructure improvements.

Prime Minister Harper has also made several trips to the Canadian Arctic, announcing funding for new icebreakers and permanent military bases to bolster Canada’s claim of territorial sovereignty over possible oil and gas deposits made accessible by melting icepack. The Conservative environmental plan aims to limit the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions from industrial polluters, while still allowing for overall emissions growth in the Alta. tar sands.

Canada’s international role is another topic that is sure to be debated before the electorate in advance of the Oct. 14 vote. According to an Environics poll last week, and before the latest death of a Canadian soldier on the day the election was called, support for the military mission in Afghanistan was at its lowest point since its beginning in 2002. A nation-wide poll of more than 2,500 Canadians indicated that 41 per cent approve of the mission, while 56 per cent disapprove. Although the Conservatives and Liberals compromised in March to extend the mission until 2011, other crises around the world such as the ongoing genocide in Darfur and the Russia-Georgia conflict may prompt the parties to outline their visions for Canada’s role in a troubled world.

After running their 2006 campaign on ethics and accountability in the wake of the Liberal sponsorship scandal, the Conservatives must contend with several of their own scandals that have emerged over their two and a half year-long minority government. The highly publicized leak of classified government documents to former Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier’s organized crime-linked girlfriend lead to the Minister’s resignation. The so-called “in-and-out” Conservative election campaign financing scheme is still being investigated by Elections Canada. Alleged bribes by Conservative party officials to deceased MP Chuck Cadman were still being investigated by parliament prior to Prime Minister Harper requesting the snap federal election.

The first week of the campaign produced plenty of controversy, as the Conservatives, Liberals and Greens all dumped candidates on account of alleged “embarrasing” backgrounds. Meanwhile, two days of public fury over the exclusion of Green Party leader Elizabeth May from the leaders’ debates led to a reversal of the decision.

The Conservatives sustained the worst press coverage after they pulled an Internet ad depicting a puffin defecating on Liberal leader Stéphane Dion and suspended their communications director for suggesting criticism of the Prime Minister’s Afghanistan policy. Despite the negative press, polls showed the Conservatives ended the week within reach of a majority government.