Fair Election 2015: Let the Games Begin

It’s the most wonderful time of the year again: election season! Time for the third of the population who actually votes to go and figure out which of this year’s crop of party leaders is the lesser of three evils. The election was called today a mere ELEVEN weeks before we’re actually going to be casting our votes. Yippee….

Each of the major leaders gave a speech when the election was announced. So did Gilles Duceppe and Elizabeth May (May’s in particular was adorable –she really believes she could get a seat). And so everyone’s gearing up, stating their platforms, who they’ll fight for, and so on. The Conservatives and Stephen Harper have the advantage so far in that in addition to showing their Trudeau attack ads every couple minutes on most major Canadian networks, they’ve also recently passed the Fair Elections Act which is stacked pretty highly in their favour. For example Elections Canada is not allowed to encourage young people to vote. Young people who generally may not be inclined towards the Conservative government to begin with. And this already in a country whose voter turnout is pathetic. The Act also allows greater spending in longer elections. Convenient, considering the Conservatives have much more money than any of the other parties and can also afford this elongated campaign more than them. I expect Harper and Pierre Poilievre are enjoying a bottle of Chateau Lafite right now. The empty bottle costing about as much as the Bloq’s entire fund.

Tom Mulcair of the NDP launched the very originally named Campaign for Change with Parliament Hill conveniently in the background for broadcast. He spent a lot of time criticizing the government’s economic and environmental policies and bringing up interesting points as he pitted himself as the alternative. There was no better way to spark an intriguing discussion of a potential NDP government. Or at least there wouldn’t have been, if he had taken a few questions. Come on, even Harper answered a couple this time. You were so close Tom! Justin Trudeau made sure to speak from the Vancouver Pride Parade, an event that Mulcair had cancelled, just to assure us that HE valued pride events. Like Mulcair he did the popular thing of criticizing Harper and setting himself up as the alternative. He says the Liberals have a plan, which is great! I look forward to hearing it at some point. His podium had the slogan “REAL Change” again proving to be very original and a one-up on the NDP.

So we have eleven weeks of this until October 21^st. And let’s hope it’s exciting. Or as much as Canadian elections can get without former first ladies, tasteless holocaust references, or a toupee’d but mesmerizing hothead spouting a mental patient’s hilarious ramblings. And if all else fails, I say just stick Harper, Mulcair, and Trudeau in a ring and have them go at it Mortal Kombat style until one emerges the victor and we rally behind them as our leader. In fact I’m not at all sure that’s not already in the Fair Elections Act. Makes about as much sense as anything else in it.