Kick The Bums Out!

Canada is one of the most difficult countries to govern, anywhere. We have regional, cultural and economic differences that have provided us with a rich history and a lot of long sleepless nights for our leaders. Tomorrow is election day and as the campaign finally draws to close, the government is going to be replaced. Change is in the air and it will translate into votes for the Conservative Party who are bound to win.

After all, we're Canadians: we kick governments out every ten years or so. We clean our elected house as often as we clean the attic when we tire of old clothes and choose to dispense with the clutter of our past.
 
This election reminds me of the 1993 vote. After 8 long years under the leadership of Brian Mulroney, Canadians decided they had enough and "kicked the bums out". The result was a huge majority for the Liberal Party under Jean Chretien and only 2 seats for the Conservatives. Now, 13 years later, we're going to do it again, but probably with a little less severity. Martin isn’t as “hated” as Mulroney was in 1993. Kim Campbell was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time: part of a stale political franchise in need of a makeover.

When it comes to the political Left, Jack Layton and the NDP are afraid of winning. Layton's careful answers are well thought out, progressive and an important compromise that blends the center-left coalition of ideas but he fears success. I’ve never heard him say that he wants to be Prime Minister.
 
Stephen Harper can't wait to move into 24 Sussex Drive, home of the Prime Minister since 1948. He plays it cool, but he wants it badly and he doesn't appear to be afraid of winning. Although his politics are right-wing, he’s been playing the part of a levelheaded “thinker” during the campaign. While the rational approach makes for boring television, it plays well with the voters who, only 18 months ago, thought he was George W. Bush in red and white boots.
 
Paul Martin is afraid of losing. It's written all over his face because he's been in a panic mode since the first Gomery Report was released regarding the "sponsorship scandal". Like Campbell in ‘93, who was paying for the arrogance of the Mulroney years, Martin is going to pay for the past mistakes of his predecessor, Jean Chretien, even though there's little to prove his government did anything legally wrong.

Plus ça change... (plus c'est la même chose)

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.