In a widely anticipated move, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called a general election for October 19, attempting to seek a fourth consecutive term as leader of his nation. Indeed, by dropping the writ on the election 10 weeks out from polling day, he is calculating that Canadians will become fatigued of the campaigning, and tune out come voting day.
It’s a deliberate piece of politicking from the leader of the Conservatives who is in a three-way race with the New Democrats under Thomas Mulcair and the Liberals under Justin Trudeau. According to opinion polls, the three parties are tied statistically, with only a couple of percentage points separating them.
Harper is hoping that Canadians will grow tired of the issues and will tune out to attacks on his government’s record. The reality is that the economy — Harper’s main selling point to date — is now spluttering, hit by weak demand, job losses, an under-valued Canadian dollar that makes US products and services very pricey, and an energy sector struggling with low oil prices. Canadians have a lot to think about over the next ten weeks — return Harper, or trust two political fresh faces.
