Prime Minister Stephen Harper dissolved Parliament Sunday, plunging this country into a federal election.
We all knew an election was imminent this fall, but to make the call at this time is, to put it bluntly, ridiculous.
Canadians are going to be subjected to 78 days of campaigning.
It is the longest campaign since the Victorian era, an era where the modes of transportation, and communication necessitated more time in a country the breadth and width of Canada.
But times have changed, and Harper should be aware that we are now in a multi-platform media world. Radio, television, newspapers provide near immediate dissemination of information, including the regular litany of political advertisements we are deluged with through a federal campaign.
And that is to say nothing of the immediacy of social media, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms, which will allow savvy candidates to connect directly with many of their constituents.
If a candidate needs 78 days to get their message to voters it is either a convoluted mess to start with, or they lack the ability to get their message across in a concise way.
Simply put, this campaign is weeks longer than reasonably required.
So we should be asking why Harper chose such a long campaign, one that will cost taxpayers an estimated $100 to $200 million over the course of the 11 weeks.
The answer is simple. Harper is playing politics with the campaign himself.
The Conservatives have the biggest war chest heading into the extended campaign and are clearly hoping they can run their opponents out of money by stretching it out.
There is also a likelihood Canadians will simply grow sick of the campaign, and tune it out before the polls open Oct. 19. There is already apathy among many voters and a long campaign may well keep more voters at home. In such situations anti-government voters are likely to be the first to stay home disillusioned by Harper’s protracted campaign.
A leader of a country should be seeking ways to engage more voters, not turn them off by numbing their senses with 78 days of redundant rhetoric.
