For a party that’s saying Canadians don’t need an election in the coming
months, the Conservatives and Prime Minister Stephen Harper are doing
everything in their power to get ready for one.
As he was shuffling his cabinet on Friday, Harper said the county’s economic
recovery cannot afford to be disrupted by an unnecessary election. Speaking
to reporters outside Rideau Hall following the minor shuffle, Harper said
the momentum gathered in recent months could be threatened should more
economic uncertainty be touched off by an election.
The prime minister said the recovery is still very fragile and could very
well be threatened if there’s a break in the country’s economic action plan
that included spending millions in stimulus money from one end of the
country to the other.
His comments come as Statistics Canada said the province lost 139,000
full-time jobs during the month of July. It’s the first fall in employment
numbers in 2010 and a strong indication there’s still a long way to go
before we can rest easy.
What’s interesting with the prime minister’s comments are recent polls that
indicate his party’s lead has narrowed considerably over the past few weeks.
The Conservatives were salivating at the prospect of a majority government.
A new Ekos poll suggests the Conservatives’ lead over the Liberals has
essentially been eliminated with both parties neck and neck in the polls.
We can only hope the prime minister is true to his word and tries to avoid
that election has says no one wants. That means working with the other
parties in the House of Commons to make government work for Canadians and
help overcome any lingering doubts about the country’s economy.
Elections have been fought before during tough economic times and it won’t
be the end of the world should it happen again. Still, there is a clear
message for all parties – not just the Tories – to end the bickering and get
to work.
