The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Liberals have repeatedly said they want to see the ConservativesÕ new budget, set to be tabled tomorrow, before deciding for or against. But they know very well they will either support the budget or, more likely, abstain to avert an election. Expect Stephane Dion to resurrect his tired ÒCanadians donÕt want an electionÓ line. ItÕs pretty clear that in his mind, we wonÕt want an election until it is one the Liberals might win. The Liberals like to spread fear about the idea of a Harper majority, but one reason Canadians no longer buy it is that the Grits have given them a de facto majority. This has allowed the Tories to more or less push through their agenda, an agenda that, according to one poll last week, has them flirting with a majority. ItÕs obvious the Liberals have to rethink their entire approach. TheyÕve hit the rock bottom of their support, the 27-or-so per cent of the populace who will vote for them no matter what. They need to reach out. But how? For one, they must admit their weaknesses. The Liberals of 2008 are no longer the Natural Governing Party. If their policies and ideas were so inherently Canadian, donÕt they think they might be in far better shape than this? Truth be told, the Harper reign has exposed as fraudulent Liberal values that were simply assumed to be shared by the vast majority of Canadians. Combat in Afghanistan? ItÕs a contentious issue, to be sure, but one poll showed a slight majority of Canadians in favour of continuing the Kandahar mission for two more years if NATO deploys additional troops. Canadians increasingly understand that this is a dangerous world. The days of sitting on the sidelines while others do the heavy lifting are over. So too is the ill-informed concept of keeping soldiers in a war zone while barring them from combat. Then there was the supposed uproar over the new federal policy relating to Canadians on death row in the US. Harper ended the practice of automatically seeking clemency for these murderers and rapists. It was kind of an odd policy to begin with. Can you imagine the anger in Canada if George Bush called us up to ask that an American killerÕs sentence be changed to accommodate his countryÕs laws? The Liberals cried foul, but a poll showed a slight majority of Canadians prefer the hands-off approach. ItÕs still a divisive issue, but the Liberals have effectively aligned themselves with some of societyÕs most undesirable people. After the Liberals figure out how to allow tomorrowÕs budget to pass, they should look in the mirror. Their real problem isnÕt Harper.
