With talk of a minority government, local candidates make final push

By COLLIN GALLANT on October 19, 2019.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

Dinner table discussions about Monday’s federal election could lead to gut-check moments for both voters and candidates next week.

With polls tightening, pundits are discussing potential minority government scenarios, as well as the potential for strategic voting.

In staunchly Conservative southeast Alberta, that likely means a minority of progressive voters deciding, but Conservative voters too are considering their party’s place in the next parliament.

Nationally, the CPC has moved into a position of potentially forming a minority government, while the New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois have also improved their odds of winning seats on Monday.

Conservative incumbent candidate Glen Motz said that in Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner voters want change in Ottawa and his party is working to win a majority mandate.

“Obviously we’re working for a majority government and I feel that’s still a possibility,” said Motz. “The reality is about the Canada we all want, and what we expect from leaders. From what I’ve heard at the doors, it’s time to move past the scandals of the last four years.”

Attempting for a second mandate are the Liberals, who have dropped in the national polls, and are now reaching out to all progressive voters to back them.

In a tightening race between the two major parties, pundits are predicting neither the Liberals or Conservatives will win enough seats to hold a majority. That has opened up questions of how a minority government could form.

Liberal candidate Harris Kirshenbaum said a final decision on how to vote is “the most pivotal discussion of the entire campaign.”

“It’s important to consider the options out there. And it’s more important that you keep sending opposition backbenchers to Ottawa, you can’t then sit back and complain that they’re ignoring you’re entire province,” said Kirshenbaum.

He said the Liberals record on the economy, the environment and other issues deserve support from progressive voters.

“We’re going for government with progressive and advanced policies that have played to giant success. Canada is in better shape than it’s been in 40 years.”

In Medicine Hat, the Conservatives won the seat with strong majorities in the past and are expected to build on that margin on Monday.

But across the country parties are making appeals to other parties’ supporters hoping to coalesce votes around their cause, either to gain power or temper the power of the top-seat winner.

It’s led to complicated calculations of what the parliamentary landscape could look like on Tuesday morning, or how key issues of any party could move forward.

For example, the two parties to the left of the Liberals support carbon pricing, while opposing the construction of the TransMountain Pipeline.

The Conservatives have made abolishing the carbon price a central campaign promise, while supporting TransMountain construction and being highly critical of the Liberal’s handling of the issue.

Local New Democrat candidate Elizabeth Thomson said it’s important for people to vote their conscience.

“It’s important for people to vote the way they feel, and vote for something, not against something,”she told the News.

“Strategic voting perpetuates the need for the need for strategic voting.”

Her party has made electoral reform a main campaign plank, stating the result is a commons make-up more reflective of Canadians’ wishes.

Critics say it would lead to deadlock, of niche issues being over represented when larger parties require smaller party support to pass legislation.

“You could really express your vote to a fuller extent than right now,” she said.

The Green Party and local candidate Shannon Hawthorne have touted the Green platform as the most aggressive to tackle climate change. The New Democrats and Liberals have said they have strong plans and the potential to win seats that put those plans into action.

Peoples Party of Canada has continually called for support from staunch conservatives, where huge CPC majorities are expected.

Local Candidate Andrew Nelson has criticized the Liberals and Conservatives as being too similar and said his is the true conservative party.

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