Author: Blazingcatfur

It’s been dubbed “the panda in the room” that no one wants to talk about: Canada’s position with China under the Trudeau Liberals.

Foreign affairs aren’t always a major component of Canadian elections, but they often play a role.

Not this time, not if the Liberals can help it — they don’t want to talk about China.

On Aug. 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited newly minted Governor General Mary Simon in order to dissolve Parliament and call a snap election. He argued that this election would allow Canadians to have a say in who should guide Canadians out of the pandemic.

Of course, the prime minister’s greater goal was to seize the (perceived) opportunity to win a majority government. Neither the arrival of the election, nor the prime minister’s motives, were a surprise to Canadians. But Trudeau himself appears surprised to learn that Canadians did not want an election, which is clearly having a detrimental impact on Liberal fortunes in the polls.

Historically, Conservative leaders typically own the unenviable label of being the leader that Canadians believe has a hidden agenda. However, Canadians say it is the Liberal leader who has the ulterior motive this time around.

Come Monday, Justin Trudeau may regret calling for a snap election.

Around this time last year, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau vowed to prioritize managing a pandemic over calling for a politically opportunistic election to bolster his party’s power in Parliament. “I do not want an election,” he said. “I think Canadians want politicians to work together to serve them, to build a better future for them and keep them safe during this crisis.” But that was then. Last month, Trudeau called for a snap federal election in an attempt to gain an outright majority for the Liberal Party, betting that the public will reward him for his handling of Covid-19.

Canadians might go to bed Monday night without knowing the final results of the federal election. They might not even know who won by Tuesday morning.

That’s because this year, Elections Canada isn’t counting hundreds of thousands of local special ballots — votes from Canadians living in their ridings who opted to vote by mail — until Tuesday.

“The returning office has to go through a set of verifications before they even open a ballot envelope to put it in the box,” said Elections Canada spokesperson Diane Benson.

Nothing good can come of this.

The federal election is almost a fait accompli, and the final result remains in serious doubt. Hence, it’s critically important for all conservatives, especially supporters of Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party of Canada, to get behind Erin O’Toole and the Conservatives.

I’m not buying that the CPC is a “conservative” party any longer.