As I commented a few months ago, I believe Canada currently has two very intelligent and thoughtful men leading the main two political parties: Stephen Harper, Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives, and Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Liberal party. They again proved that today by agreeing to bring about some changes to the EI system rather than have yet another national election. (Of course the Bloc Quebecois & NDP are upset... but what else is new?)
Again, I think Ignatieff is being very shrewd and strategic. With a budget deficit that increases hourly, arguably due to the recession, the Conservative Party is gradually losing the favor and trust of Canadians. Unless the economy turns around in the next six months... which most finacial forecasters seem to think is unlikely, the Liberals will have lots of unhappy Canadian voters to appeal to and can run a platform of "we will throw money at the problems to make things better" which many Canadians will likely vote for. And unfortunately, it is not just the economy that is causing the Conservatives problems. They seem to have monthly, if not weekly, "blunders" by an MP that must make Harper wonder if he's trying to lead a parliament or a junior high school.
Last but not least, a couple weeks ago CBC (admittedly not known for their thoughtful journalism but...) featured a story on the Canadian company in Thetford Mines that sells asbestos products to India... and the fact that Canada is the only "developed" country that still exports this material. OUCH!
In case you are wondering, yes, I did send an email to our MP suggesting that the Conservative Party cease their attack ads on Ignatieff for being "un-Canadian" because he worked in the USA (I think at a fairly reputable school named Harvard University) for so many years.
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