Recently I have been thinking October for the election that Trudeau wants. That could be wrong. The problem is that I was basing my thinking on the end of the pandemic. I realize that there will be a time when people want to go out and make love in the sun and then there will also be a theoretical end to the pandemic. I am beginning to realize that both can happen in June.
I am not totally in sync with this but Justin needs to pull the plug in May for a late June election. I am not saying that the pandemic will not carry on for a while but Canadians will try to forget it. We have places to go, parties to attend, people to hug. An election can also be something of a celebration.
If we leave the election for October, it could be risky. And it’s not just the risk of getting your ass sunburnt. There are going to be other regrets. The realization of the deaths will have set in. We should also worry about the small businesses Canada has lost to the lock-downs of the pandemic. These businesses are often critical to support tourism. We hardly want to spend the summer regretting actions taken during the pandemic.
And we hardly want those cheap conservatives to have time to hammer home the real costs of the pandemic. In a long summer, people could become more aware of the collapse of the new democrats—which is bad for Justin’s liberals.
It’s the reverse for the Bloc Québécois. They have to be seen as losers. A strong Bloc is bad for liberals in Quebec. Elections can be complicated.
Trudeau might not be much of a leader but he brought us through the pandemic. He got us the vaccines. He made a strong case for himself as a leader popping in and out the front door of Rideau Cottage. He might have overdone it but he is still getting credit for it.
I think he also needs to be the leader who will welcome back the full parliament in the temporary house on the hill in Ottawa. Those Zoom parliaments were confusing and unimpressive. He also needs the time on the hustings to get Canadians to looking forward again. He will fail if he gives them time to reflect on the past.
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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry
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