On April 4, we will trek to the polls. That is only two months away.
But has anyone realized that at this point?
No one is suggesting we should be in the midst of a long drawn out affair, as was the case with last fall’s federal vote, but it does seem there should be a little buzz starting regarding the decision we will soon make provincially.
There are perhaps some legitimate reasons for the lack of immediate interest in this vote.
To begin with, having a fixed-election date means we have known this was going to happen for ages. Gone are the days of speculation on when an election might be called.
On the positive that has taken the ‘politics’ out of the equation. We no longer have a government playing around with when it might send us to the polls, posturing for a ‘best-time’ for their party.
But like most things there is a negative too.
All that speculating and posturing keeps the public engaged at some level as they track when a call might come down. Without the element of public speculation the election gets off to a snail’s pace crawl as parties try to determine when they should start campaigning in earnest.
In terms of this election, there is also something of a hangover from the federal vote last October.
When it comes to the foot soldiers in an election, many are involved at both levels, and the ridiculously long campaign Stephen Harper pushed on Canadians has to have drained a lot of party volunteer energy.
The federal vote also polarized the country.
There are those who still hang on the ideals of the Conservatives as the only direction that can take Canada where it should go. Those supporters are loud in their condemnation of everything new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has done in less than four months in power, and even less time in terms of parliamentary process.
The voters who installed Trudeau and the Liberals are just as vocal in supporting the PM’s every move.
The social media, and newspaper columnists debates focused on Ottawa have kept attention off the upcoming provincial election.
And then there is the lack of a galvanizing issue provincially.
There is an understanding the economy has tightened, and will remain so for some time. That means limited wiggle room in terms of spending.
And while we might like to think our Premier can bring in legislation to turn the economic fortunes around, wise voters know better. Brad Wall and the Conservatives have battled economic projections before, missing the mark on potash more than once, but that does not mean they have the ability to change international market realities.
That will make this provincial election one of ideologies more than specifics, and voters know those positions well, so no one is overly excited to get into the lawn signs, advertising, and public debates even if the vote is only eight weeks away.
