Harper poses with Ford families during Etobicoke rally
It's Heave Steve Day -1 and from all accounts its strategic voting that's dominating this election. The Liberals are set to win a strong minority government, and the Harper-Cons are desperate, so desperate that Harper's appearing with Fords. The fact is 70%+ of Canadians want Harper out and he knows that if vote suppression and gerrymandering don't save him, he's toast.
In my neck of the woods - North Island-Powell River - the best strategic choice is to vote NDP, just as it is on most of Vancouver Island with a couple of exceptions, including a tight and controversial NDP/Green fight in Victoria.
The problem for many of the 70% who are't party partisans is how to go about voting in a way that doesn't just recreate the split vote that has Harper's dictatorial control until now. For those many strategic voting {SV} has become the weapon of choice. Unfortunately without accurate riding by riding information casting a smart SV vote is difficult. Some ridings easier to handicap some are close. Some ridings have had extensive local polling, some none. At this point though if you're still looking, here's a great site that gives local riding numbers and predictions on all of Canada's 338 ridings: Anyone But Harper
The scary thing is that the Liberals are still gaining ground and the best outcome for all Canadians is a minority government to best insure that Trudeau's feet a kept to the fire so he'll keep his promises. Trudeau must remember that the voters elected him not the corporations. Trudeau will be at the crossroads in the next few days, he'll show himself to be a puppet of the corporate elites, as all neo-liberal leaders are, or he'll show himself to be the man we need.
Trudeau must keep his promise to end first past the post voting and legalize marijuana at least by this time next year to be credible. But before then he'll have to [i think] compromise with the NDP and repeal C-51 then maybe pass a new version acceptable to all the non-Con parties. Trudeau must also reinstate the laws protecting Canada's waterways and...anyway he'll be busy and if if he's going to really be the agent of change he promised he's going to have to reject the TPP...PLEASE vote strategically on Oct. 19, so we can make sure it's the last time we have to.
