Here we are with only six days to go before Election Day. It’s been several decades since Stephen Harper called the election and a new generation is entirely ambivalent about voting. Or perhaps not, as Elections Canada is reporting a 71% increase in voting at advance polls this year vs. the 2011 election (or as I call 2011, The Big Oops). Of course big numbers in advance polls don’t always translate to election day but it’s at least a little encouraging to see some people pull away from checking their Facebook status* long enough to get out and exercise their democratic right.
To the surprise of no one, the Conservatives have turned to fear, racism and general hate as the election drags on and on. It has had some effect, though it’s hard to say for certain who is benefiting more. If the billion polls are accurate, NDP support has taken a big dive, with the Conservatives improving a little and the Liberals improving a lot. Various projections give either the Conservatives (The Big Oops) a plurality of seats while others point to the Liberals getting the most. Tom Mulcair is putting on a brave beardy face and insisting it’s still a three-party race, which it could very well be, as polls nowadays can sometimes be more than a little inaccurate.
Fun fact: if we end up with a minority government, it will be the fourth in the last five elections. The Liberals, NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Green Party (the latter two are not projected to win enough seats to wield any real influence) have all stated categorically that they will not help prop up a minority Conservative government, no matter how many photos Stephen Harper gets with him holding a kitten. This is a good thing for the country and for kittens.
Here’s hoping that next Monday I will not start drinking heavily.
* I secretly–well, not that secretly–hope this reference becomes horribly dated in a few years
