Does P.M.’s Toronto Appearance Presage A Spring Election?
Posted February 1, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
He may have been the last person you might have expected to see in Toronto during a snowstorm. But there was Prime Minister Stephen Harper attending a tribute to the Canadian Nurses Association, knowing they represent a strong lobbying group with an election in the wind. They’re celebrating their centennial and he was among the guests of honour as the occasion was observed here on Friday.
The speeches were highly praiseworthy of the men and women in white, but some pundits saw an undertone, a feeling of rallying support for that day when the opposition finally pulls the plug on the minority government and plunges Canada into an election.
Even Health Minister Tony Clement couldn’t resist dropping in a few hints about an issue near and dear to his audience’s hearts. “The government has made health care one of its highest priorities, providing national leadership on a wide range of critical health issues,” he proclaims.
Why the campaign-style stop? There are four key by-elections slated across Canada for March. And polls are suggesting there’s no clear favourite when the big vote finally comes.
But if the Tories hope they were winning over the hearts and minds of the nursing lobby, they were in for a surprise. “We haven’t seen platforms from any of the parties yet, and I think registered nurses are very serious about how they interpret the policy agenda,” comments Lucille Auffrey of the Canadian Nurses Association.
There are still two big events that could trigger that federal election: a vote on whether to extend Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, and the second, the federal budget. No clear date has been set for either of them, but both are expected to happen this spring.
