In a few short weeks, many, many residents from this area, hopefully, will head to the polls to vote. On May 2, the future of the country lurks in the balance until a new group of professional politicians, and maybe a few newcomers, try to pick up where government left off. If the Conservatives are re-elected, they will likely bring back the budget that failed to pass due to the vote of non-confidence. So, in the likely event of a similar House of Commons on May 3, Canadians will be back exactly where they were before the call of the election.
I'm not expecting much to change after the election, that is, unless the Conservatives can pull off a majority. The Conservative Party is as close to a majority as it ever has been since forming government, and if it is going to get one, this is the election for it. The party has been cruising through minority government territory rather well. There’s certainly nothing substantial to cause voters to turn on the governing party. The party proved to be quite different than what opposition parties claimed when it got to power, and any outrageous views of party leader Stephen Harper have had a few years to settle down back into reality. With just shy of a month to election day, things are looking good for the Conservatives.
I sort of wish there was an alternative way to elect officials, perhaps like the Bull-A-Rama competition, where each politician would have to make it eight seconds on a bucking bull to get into the House of Commons. At least that would be entertaining. The tired and stale debates we'll hear on television and rehashed in the daily broadcast certainly can’t compare to the bucking bullishness of a rodeo event. This is not a criticism of any politician in particular, but rather just to point out how, when compared to a rodeo, an election really isn't that exciting of an event.
Sure, it’s necessary, and this one in May, many will argue, is one of those necessary ones. Perhaps they're right, but beside party die-hards, I do not see the public pleading for the chance to exercise their electoral muscles.
While a rodeo competition would be ideal for party leaders, I have another idea for local candidates. I stopped in briefly at the Centennial Senior Citizens Hall two weeks ago for a few songs at the Jamboree. It was definitely more enjoyable than hearing cliché party slogans and crass partisan politics so common around election time. Perhaps candidates could take their cue from the seniors in town and perform some sort of skill at a talent night. While that might not address any political issues, at least it could make for some interesting photo opportunities and would be a more relaxing, perhaps humorous, way to weather the electoral storm ahead.
