Straight thoughts 48

October 16, 2000

I have read that the Liberals in Ontario have acclaimed 100 candidates and appointed 3 more. (Please is there anyone out there that can verify this?)

Apart from confirming that an election will be called next Sunday, this suggests that many of the 103 Liberal candidates in Ontario may not have been elected democratically (most notably the appointment in Markham, against the wishes of the local riding association).

In contrast, the Canadian Alliance is still in the process of democratically nominating its candidates and, in many ridings, there are several people running for the position.
It seems that Chretien will call an election next Sunday, for one of the following reasons:

1. He wants to catch the Canadian Alliance unprepared, while it is still in the middle of the nomination process.
2. He does not want the backlash of the $2B scandal to hit the House, day after day, until a Spring election.
3. He is afraid that Stockwell Day will gain recognition and popularity across Canada in the next few months.
4. He wants to call an election now because he is ahead in the polls, and his popularity might decline in the near future.
5. He is afraid that a leadership convention will be called to replace him as the leader of the Liberal party.

Any one of the above reasons smells opportunism. Why else an election after just over three years since 1997? What mandate is the PM going to ask Canadians? What impelling and urgent issue requires an election?