6 hours Ago By [email protected] (Susan Delacourt)
In a recurring feature, Susan Delacourt, a small-l liberal, and Matt Gurney, a small-c conservative, bring their different perspectives — and shared commitment to civil disagreement — to the political debates of the moment. Matt Gurney: A few weeks ago, I expressed some irritation with the candidates. I still feel that way.
This has been an uninspiring campaign. We are, we’re told, facing major, existential threats to our way of life and maybe even our national survival. And I honestly can’t recall a single policy proposal from any of the parties off the top of my head.
Certainly none seemed suited to that moment. We’ve got a few days to go. How do you feel about the race? Susan Delacourt: Well, I get to disagree with you right off the start.
I’ve really liked the campaign. I think it was super-interesting to see Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre doing their on-the-job learning, as we discussed earlier in the election. Carney is learning how to be a politician; Poilievre has been learning how to be something more than the leader of the opposition.
MG: You’re a nicer person than I am, which won’t come as a shock to readers. I don’t think we have campaigns so that a handful of people can undergo personal growth. We have them for 41 million people who want to survive and maybe even thrive.
SD: I’m going to disagree with you again. I think you’re nice. To your point, however, the lack of sharp and clear policies probably speaks to the Donald Trump effect in this campaign.
As long as we don’t know what the president will do next, it’s hard for either Carney or Poilievre to lay out the game plan. Moreover, it looks like there aren’t any clear divisions between them on how to handle Trump. Their answers on this during the leaders’ debates were interchangeable.
MG: Yet another reason to be disappointed in the campaign! Again, we’re being told this is existential stuff. And the major parties are proposing ..
. what? SD: I assume this means you were also uninspired by the rollout of platform-costing announcements that came egregiously late in this campaign. Here I would agree with you.
Nothing that they put in the window added much to the election. Maybe that’s why they held back releasing the numbers for so long. MG: Yeah, they were in no hurry to announce nothing, and I can see why.
And then, my favourite bit of the week: Jagmeet Singh telling this paper’s editorial board that he sacrificed the NDP’s electoral chances to save Canada from Poilievre. Gotta wonder how that one is resonating out in NDP land. SD: It was a strange thing to say.
But it was in keeping with what Singh has been saying in these final days: that it looks like Carney is going to win. If that is the preferred option for Singh, I don’t really get how that lures New Democrats back. Isn’t the danger here that he just reinforces what it seems NDP-leaning folks have been doing, and that is drifting over to the Liberals to make certain that Canada doesn’t wake up to a Conservative government after Monday.
MG: I wrote almost exactly that in our latest, uh, fact-checking bulletin on Friday. The one with the profane name. The Liberals have been telling left-leaning Canadians since forever and always that the best way to stop Conservatives is to vote Liberal.
I was surprised to see Singh agree. SD: The New Democrats will counter that there are many ridings in Canada, especially in B.C.
, where the fight is blue-versus-orange, so these are the places where progressive voters should unite behind the NDP. That’s the hope, anyway. I have been meaning to ask you for a couple of weeks whether you have views on majority/minority.
What outcome do you think would be best? MG: Snort. Can I pass on that one? SD: I won’t. I think it’s about time for a majority.
I have two reasons for this; one rooted in the future, one in the past. In future terms, the biggest job of the new government will be to deal with Trump and it needs a strong, stable hand to do so. But the other reason is borne of experience.
The sheer dysfunction in the Commons in the last half of 2024 is no argument for having another minority. Normally I quite like minority government, but getting another one when the votes are counted on Monday just seems like rewarding bad behaviour. MG: In the abstract, it’s absolutely time for a majority.
But neither guy who could plausibly lead one has earned it. Carney is too new, and for all the talk of Poilievre having blown a lead — and boy, did he ever! — Carney’s numbers are trending down, too. The three plausible outcomes here are all bad.
Liberal majority means a rookie leader and a team with a lot of baggage having largely unchecked power. A Liberal minority or a CPC minority means uncertainty and instability at a time we can’t afford either. All the options suck.
And I’m getting really fed up of feeling that way every time a federal election comes ‘round, but here we are. Again. SD: I may be wildly optimistic, but I hope the past year has taught the two major parties how quickly fortunes rise and fall in the polls.
I’ll be disappointed in any show of triumphalism on Monday night. MG: Someone is going to come out some kind of winner. I won’t begrudge them a victory lap.
I just wish this campaign had given me any hint of actual seriousness. Two months ago this country seemed ready to at least consider upping its game. But then Mike Myers gave us a slogan and we seem to have taken that as our mission accomplished moment.
Oh well. SD: I am less bleak about what this election has produced. I was encouraged by the high turnout at advance polls.
Maybe it wasn’t the inspiring election you wanted, but if it had people more engaged than usual, that’s a good thing. I’ll close this on that high note, and wish you happy election day on Monday. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request.
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