Supplementary info for 'Federal election likely in 2011'

The full INK article can be found here: Federal election probable

Tom McIntosh sits in his office.

Because of word constraints, there was plenty of information I couldn’t include in my second INK article about the possible upcoming federal election and corporate tax cuts. I will only mention a few short points here.

Tom McIntosh, the head of the political science department, also said that every Opposition leader, including Chrétien and Harper, were behind in the polls before an election and won the election. He said that main issues can easily change during a campaign.

Regina Qu’Appelle MP Andrew Scheer said that it was unwise to speculate on the possible election. If an election is called, however, another issue in Saskatchewan is crime. He said there are bills to keep dangerous criminals in jail for longer periods of time.

 “All we can do as government members of Parliament is to do the job that Canadians elected us to do, which is to focus on the economy and get the job done so that more and more Canadians can go back to work,” said Scheer.

Karl Bélanger, the Senior Press Secretary for the NDP, also said in an email that four million Canadians don’t have a family doctor and some families must drive a long way to see a doctor.

“Canadians believe in a system where your health card – not your credit card – is what matters…Layton’s New Democrats will keep the pressure on the Conservatives to improve our health care system so every Canadian gets the level of service they deserve,” Bélanger wrote.

Although it is still uncertain whether a federal election will be called in the spring, there is almost no doubt that if one is called, it will be because of a lack of support for the budget due out in March.

Photo by Lisa Goudy