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The Spectacle Blog
Canada's election is one week away and the story of the election campaign Jack Layton and his New Democratic Party (NDP). (And yes, I used to be a member of the NDP.)
At the beginning of the campaign, the NDP was an afterthought. However, after strong performances in both the English and French language debates, Layton and the NDP have surged in the polls bumping the Liberals out of second place. The NDP has done particularly well in Quebec where it has rarely won seats. This unexpected development has the Liberals, the Bloc Quebecois and even the governing Conservatives are now directing their attention towards the NDP.
Should the NDP finish with the second most seats in the House of Commons it would be the first time that has happened in its fifty year history. Becoming the official opposition would be precedent in its own right. But if Stephen Harper and the Tories once again fail to secure a majority of seats there is a chance that Layton could become Canada's first socialist Prime Minister. Of course, Stephen Harper and the Tories would get first crack at forming another minority government. However, Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff today indicated he would be willing to work with Layton even if it means Layton gets the keys to 24 Sussex Drive (the Canadian equivalent of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.) Ignatieff's willingness to work with the NDP hasn't prevented him from calling the NDP platform "science fiction" and "amateur." But I guess Ignatieff will accept the NDP's science fiction and amateur approach if it means he becomes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Of course, a week in politics is a lifetime. It's more than enough time for Canadian voters to have second thoughts about handing over the reins to the NDP. Given that Ignatieff has now given Layton his blessing it gives Harper a chance to paint the NDP and the Liberals with the same brush.
Should Jack Layton and the NDP take the lead in Canada's next Parliament I think they will learn the hard way that governing isn't easy, that most of their prescriptions are impractical and they will soon be overwhelmed by the task before them. In short, Jack Layton would be the Canadian version of Barack Obama.
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More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/04/25/could-canada-end-up-with-a-soc
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winston| 4.25.11 @ 2:40AM
It will be a disaster...
alice moore| 4.25.11 @ 7:50AM
It seems that Canada ruling class is well to the Left of the American ruling class.
I thought that Pierre Trudeau was quite the Socialist.
the refudiator| 4.25.11 @ 10:42AM
the thing I don't get is they are so socialist and yet they have a balanced budget. And that's with free health care for everybody. It's diabolical.
Occam's Tool| 4.25.11 @ 1:14PM
Because they have no real defense budget and the care that they don't provide is available over the border, which is why most Canadians live within driving distance. We defend them and provide the CDC and the NIH and the NIMH. We also pay for their phamacological research costs.
It's called being a leech.
The refudiator| 4.25.11 @ 10:46PM
I thought the Canadians had a lot of drug research going on in Montreal & Toronto. I don't think they have a lot of use for the US health system as I understand it because it is too expensive & none of them have insurance for care here. I thought the Canadians were fighting in Afghanistan. If so they must have some kind of a defense budget. I'm not so sure you know what you are talking about.
RefudiateThis| 4.29.11 @ 10:51PM
Thank you for setting the guy straight. It's amazing what people will say about things they are not that well informed on.
Derek Leaberry| 4.25.11 @ 10:55AM
That Mr. Goldstein admits to being a former member of the NDP explains a lot. The NDP's political program weds socialism with a dedication to moral degeneracy, pretty much the program of the modern Democratic Party here in America.
The end of Canadian political campaigns lately tend to see late gains in the Liberal vote that usually prevent the Tories from gaining a majority and keep the NDP from taking the second position. Expect the Tories to lose a point or two over the next week, the NDP to lose four or so with the Liberals gaining about five. Harper's chance of governing with a majority rides on winning a few close races in ridings that are obscure to your average American.
If the NDP outpolls the Liberals, it would be interesting to see if the Canadian Liberals get whipsawed by the left and the right like the British Liberals of the 1920s.
james wilson| 4.25.11 @ 11:17AM
That is like saying that Barry Obama had something to learn about the difference between ideology and governing. We are the ones who had to learn.
Penny| 4.25.11 @ 12:59PM
The so-called liberal party stands for all the socialist norms that your own WH occupier does. Layton is a far-far left loony . Both wish to drag Canada down the socialist road that has already destroyed the UK.
More importantly, the election of May 2nd. has been brought about by design. Unions and media have seen the writing on the wall vis-a-vis union losses in the US and (please God) the end of BHO next year. They had to invent a reason to call an election as a last gasp try to revive the 'coalition' that the liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecoise threatened us with after the last general election - a veritable coalition of losers. If you want a study in the hi-jacking of democracy, look to North, people.
An excellent analysis can be found here: http://burpnrun.blogspot.com/2.....-coup.html
Occam's Tool| 4.25.11 @ 1:15PM
Sorry, that's Pharmacological.
Incidentally, the "free" health care is rationed. That's why the Premier of Newfoundland came to the US for his heart surgery. How many US citizens go North for their medical care to Canada?
mandi| 4.25.11 @ 4:47PM
A better question deary would be how many US citizens go without healthcare? How many Canadians do the same? The answer is a few million and none respectively. Sometimes you have to wait for surgery here yes (nonessentials like hips and knees especially) but with any life threatening condition you are treated immediately. The Premier of NFLD is a wealth Tory, I'd rather a few rich twats go elsewhere than see a whole bunch of poor folks die. You take your pic of which society you'd prefer.
Zbigniew Mazurak| 4.25.11 @ 2:50PM
Don't worry. Stephen Harper will win, because he is a much more coolheaded, competent, and skilled political leader than any Republican alive today. For one thing, he has managed to bring all Canadian conservatives - who do not agree with him on everything - onto the same page.