I watched the debate last night. It's too bad I can't vote for Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe because he seems to be the best of the four. Stephen Harper remains a stiff, unlikeable presence but he didn't drop the ball no matter how often I pricked that voodoo doll. Jack Layton kept repeating the same rehearsed catch-phrases over and over again and Paul Martin held his own but didn't excel when he really needed a KO.
The Toronto Star is frightening Torontonians today with a headline that exclaims the Tories are headed for a majority. I've come to grips with the reality that we're likely headed for a Conservative minority government, but a majority is a completely other matter. A majority for Harper would blow up my 18 month plan for this fine nation. Here's what I prescribe:
- On January 23, Canadians vote and a Conservative minority government is formed. The Liberal Party has been in power too long and Canadians want to punish them for recent scandals and send them a message that they don't have a natural right to lead. Paul Martin, Finance Minister for years during Chretien's rule, is too closely associated with an era of corruption. A change of this nature is required to shake things up.
- Paul Martin, humbled by defeat, will step aside. A fresh face will rise to assume leadership of the party. Who this person is, I'm not certain, but he or she will be far removed from Adscam.
- In the summer of 2007, the Conservative minority government will be defeated and Canadians will return to the polls. This time, with the Liberal Party having learned their lesson and with a new, vibrant leader at the helm, the result will be very different. The fact is that most Canadians disagree with Conservative Party values and want to vote Liberal, and in the summer of 2007 they will once more. Harper's 18 months in office will end and a new Liberal majority government will be formed.
A Conservative majority screws up the whole plan. Danger! Danger!
