Rumours have been circulating for months about if and when Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Government would send Canadians to the polls. It seems that numerous Ottawa sources have confirmed that this past Sunday, 15 Aug 21, was when the Prime Minister will ask the Governor General to dissolve parliament and commence Canada’s 44th federal election.
If feels like it’s too soon to be heading back to the polls you are correct. In Canada our election dates are set to occur every four years; however, political leaders see it more of a suggestion than a rule, and both Conservatives and Liberals have ignored the interval when the circumstances have been favourable for them to gain more power.
Many Canadians are fatigued with our politics and frequent elections and it's understandable as to why. Besides coming out of a long, painful and frustrating pandemic, there is no ballot box question for this election. In non-political speech that means there is no significant issue that is of such urgent national attention that the government must seek a renewed mandate from the citizens of the country to deal with.
Plain and simple, this election is a power grab by the Prime Minister and the Federal Liberals. They are tired of having to rely on the support of other Parties to move their agenda through the House of Commons in minority government capacity. It’s an incredibly lame reason to call a needless and expensive election, especially since they’ve enjoyed full confidence in parliament on most legislation they’ve tabled. It’s a cynical reason to go to the polls and it’s making many Canadians cynical of our politics as a result, and that’s not healthy for a democracy.
It was in response to this cynicism I began to wonder in a humorous vein of thought, “who would Mac the Moose vote for?”
Mac the Moose, the silent Cervidae sentinel of Moose Jaw, has seen a lot of change on the political landscape of Canada over the years. Erected in 1984, he witnessed, in his first year of existence, the devastating defeat of John Turner’s Liberals to Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservatives. Since then, he’s gone on to watch 10 more federal elections over the past 37 years. He’s a seasoned political observer to be sure.
But back to the hypothetical question, if Mac could vote in this election, what party would he vote for? Well for what it’s worth I think Mac the Moose would support the Maverick Party, and I’ll explain why.
Obviously from an alliteration standpoint it makes sense; “Mac the Moose is a Maverick” rolls off the tongue quite nicely. Try it with any other party’s name and it doesn’t sound half as good. But there is a more substantial and serious reason to support this supposition.
A bull moose will often face and walk stiffly towards opponents or sources of danger displaying their antlers as a warning. Mac, who is certainly stiff thanks to all that cement, faces the east towards Ottawa where successive Federal governments have repeatedly shown indifference or outright hostility towards the west. His concern and posturing is certainly warranted.
Remember the “Made in Saskatchewan” Carbon Tax that Premier Moe proposed and was rejected by Liberals despite nearly identical plans in the Maritimes being approved? Or what about Bill 69 (no more pipelines) or Bill C48 (west coast tanker ban), despite no such ban existing on the east coast. How about the carbon tax that has made everything more expensive and adversely disadvantaged our western agriculture and resources-based industries despite no measurable impact on CO2 levels and no censure of China which produces over half of the world's greenhouse gases. Or maybe it's the fact that we import any oil at all for OPEC despots despite having the highest environmental standards and most ethical oil & gas development in the world.
So why would Mac be a Maverick? Because the Maverick Party is here to stand up and face Ottawa, just like Mac. The Maverick Party is looking to be the voice that western Canadians have longed to have in the House of Commons. A voice unlike the Conservatives, NDP, Liberals of PPC that isn’t influenced by the opinion or impact of how the voters of central and eastern Canada will respond to a given issue. Every single Maverick MP will have one mission if elected to parliament, if a bill or motion before the house is good for the west, they will vote for it. If it’s not, they vote against it. Politics and better representation for the west is just that simple.
Be like Mac, be a Maverick in the upcoming election.
-- John Thomson
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
