Election Time in Canada (Part 4)

Now the election is really getting interesting.  The insurgent Layton campaign really does appear to have legs.  The establishment Liberals are clearly in third place and the NDP is even closing in on the Conservatives in first place.

The response of the establishment mouthpieces should have been expected.  Both the Globe and the Star have published stories highlighting the foibles of some NDP candidates who were anonymous until now.  They have run several stories about one NDP candidate in Quebec who is employed as an assistant manager of a pub in Ottawa.  She is reportedly in Las Vegas, having booked a vacation before the writ was dropped.  As a single mother, we are told that she couldn't afford to cancel this vacation.  There are other candidates who went on vacation during the campaign and a couple of the NDP candidates in Quebec are still in University.

The real scandal here is the reporting and the poor candidates run by ALL of the major parties.  Anyone who has watched any election closely would know that the "national" parties who boast of fielding candidates in every riding often put up candidates who have no hope, no resources, no profile and (often) no campaign office.  Just exactly how well known or well funded is the Liberal candidate in Red Deer, Alberta?  Similarly, I wonder how 'good' the Conservative candidate is in York Centre (Bob Rae's riding).  All of the major parties run candidates who, in hockey, would be called pylons.

The truth is that the Conservatives are probably running credible candidates in no more than two thirds of the ridings.  I would guess that the Liberals are at about half and the NDP at much less than a third.

It is scandalous that our national parties run so many poor candidates.  It should surprise no one when a few very unqualified people are elected to Parliament.   Frankly the single mother/assistant pub manager (Ruth Ellen Brosseau is her name) running for the NDP may turn out to be far from the least qualified person elected.

It is scandalous that the reporting has focussed so much on such trivial matters.  It should not be surprising that people have warmed to Jack Layton's 'folksy' demeanour.....that's mainly what they are reporting on.  You have to read very diligently to see the reporting on the party platforms and some expert analysis on what it all means.

Yes Stephen Harper comes across as 'cold' yet 'competent.'  Michael Ignatieff is 'professorial' and 'aloof.'  Gilles Duceppe is 'cranky' and Jack Layton is 'folksy' and 'friendly.'

In those last two lines, I summarized about 90% of the reporting by the media.  Maybe the media could start reporting some more useful information and leave that kind of nonsense to bloggers?