And this is respecting democracy?

It has certainly been too long since I posted a new blog.  Fortunately, we can always count on our politicians to give me new material.

With the fall of the Harper government this week and the start of an election campaign, I can't help but chuckle when the opposition parties complain that Harper does not respect democratic institutions.  While I fully agree Stephen Harper has a horrible record at respecting checks and balances, the last time I looked, the Conservatives had a considerable lead in the polls.  They have close to 40% support, and the Liberals are not even close.  Therefore, if we respect the will of the people, why would we force an election, to seemingly end up in the same place that we were before the election.

In his opening speech of the campaign, Mr. Ignatieff said he wanted to do something for people who were looking after elderly parents.  In the latest Conservative budget, there was a caregiver credit, which would have addressed that.

Does Stephen Harper deserve a majority government?  Absolutely not.  Considering how little regard he has for checks and balances when he is in a minority situation, I think giving him full control would be a mistake.  Furthermore, while I know people say our economy has weathered the storm a lot better than most countries, are we really that well off?  Have our standards fallen so low that we are going to say "Well done Mr. Prime Minister.  Our country's debt is not worth less than toilet paper and our homes are not worth less than a 1996 used Honda Civic.  Good job."

If the Liberals were smart, they would have held out for their planned party convention in the summer and replaced Mr. Ignatieff as leader.  The fact is with all the touring he did last summer, and all the attempts to let people get to know him, nobody likes him.  The party is stuck around 27% support, and his individual popularity is even lower at 17%.  The only reason Mr. Harper will win another minority is because people feel he is the least bad of a bad situation.  If the Liberals held out until they got a new leader in place, they would have had the opportunity to run a campaign with new ideas and win.  Now, we are spending $300 million to end up with the same government we just brought down.  Well done.

Elections Canada talks about why voter turnout is so low.  How about getting leaders that inspire confidence and excite people to go out and support them?  Maybe the answer is move the way that countries such as Colombia and Switzerland have done where they have the option to vote for none of the above.  (In Colombia they call this the white vote.)  If a majority of the people vote for none of the above, a new slate of candidates need to be presented. 

In the meanwhile, what is my answer?