Canadian Elections NEARING!

This is from the National Post: The Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats are plowing across vote-rich Ontario and Quebec Saturday, hoping for a Thanksgiving harvest of Canada's volatile electorate. Prime Minister Stephen Harper suggested voters should ignore the opinion polls in the closing hours of the federal election campaign, while Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said his child care, doctor training and national drug plan could be delayed because of the economic slowdown. Mr. Harper, campaigning in southern Ontario, urged voters to disregard what pollsters predict. "There's a million polls. Don't be fooled by any of them, this is a close election," Mr. Harper said in London, Ont. "We're not talking about a majority," said Mr. Harper, adding the choice is between the Conservatives and the Liberals. "Either we win a mandate or they win a mandate and that will make all the difference whether this country gets through this period or dives into a recession." Campaigning in Orillia, Ont, Mr. Dion said voters need to support the Liberals rather showing their anger with the Conservatives and parking their vote with the other parties. "A protest vote will let the Conservatives win," he said. Mr. Dion said the economic crisis will slightly alter the planned implementation of his platform, but he promised to deliver the goods. "We will deliver our four-year plan despite the economic mess we will inherit from the Conservatives," Dion told reporters. Harper pounced on the comment. "Today, Mr. Dion said he may not actually do anything he promised in his platform - not health care, not child care, not anything else for years. But he is going to do the carbon tax now, no matter what," Mr. Harper said. A poll conducted this week for Canwest News Service and Global National suggests the Tories have 34% of voter support with the Liberals close behind at 29%. The New Democrats were at 18% with the Bloc Quebecois at nine and the Greens at eight per cent support. The polls mean politicians are taking nothing for granted this weekend and are blitzing Ontario and Quebec, which have a combined 181 seats. In London, Ont., Mr. Harper announced a Conservative government would invest $100-million per year over five years toward the completion of the country's broadband network. Mr. Dion, in an interview with Global Television, said some of his party's policies could be delayed because of the troubled economy. "If we don't have the room to act the first and second year, we'll do more the third and four year," Mr. Dion said during a taping of Focus: Decision 2008. "The important thing for us, at the fourth year of our plan we have child care, we have more doctors and nurses, we have everything," Mr. Dion said. NDP Leader Jack Layton, during a tour of a market in Montreal, said his party has a potential for success in Quebec against the Bloc Quebecois. "Some people are actually beginning to say now, more and more, that we should actually throw Mr. Harper out of office, we shouldn't just watch him in office which is what the Bloc has been doing and it's all they're ever going to be able to do," said Mr. Layton. "We detect a wonderful rising up of support in Quebec for the New Democrats, it's because New Democrats share the values of so many Quebecers." Mr. Harper said Saturday he needs to show Quebecers they should elect members on the government side of Parliament. "The Bloc [Quebecois] will continue to be a great critic of whoever is in power - but the Bloc will change nothing," said Mr. Harper, who dismissed attempts to "demonize" him. "Quebecers understand that . . . just because someone's a Conservative, doesn't mean he's George Bush. Just because someone's from Alberta, he's not an oilman, any more than someone from Quebec is automatically a producer of maple syrup." Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said Saturday Quebec is better off having nobody around the federal cabinet table than having "yes men" as he called on Mr. Harper to pledge not to appoint non-elected senators to cabinet. "It is better to have nobody from Quebec say they support something that is against Quebec's interests than to have yes men who care about their limousines rather than the interests of Quebec." Green Leader Elizabeth May spends Saturday in Antigonish, New Glasgow, Westville and Pictou, N.S. Mr. Harper commented Saturday on a setback in his $3.5 million defamation lawsuit against the Liberal party. Harper's own expert says a tape providing key evidence about an alleged bribe was not doctored as Harper claimed. Former FBI agent Bruce Koenig said the portion of the tape dealing with the insurance policy "contains neither physical nor electronic splices, edits or alterations," according to a report entered in court. Mr. Harper disputed the findings Saturday and maintained all the reports showed the tapes were "edited." "Experts have differences in nuance, but all these reports show exactly what we're saying: That this tape has been edited and the conversation is incomplete," Mr. Harper said. "The Liberal party's got a big problem in court, that's all I can say." Mr. Dion said the report speaks to Mr. Harper's character, calling him "the most secretive prime minister in Canadian history." "Harper pretended that the tape was doctored," Mr. Dion said Saturday. "Mr. Harper tried to tarnish the reputation of a reporter to protect his reputation. And he tried to hide that from Canadians." This election is very important. If Harper and the Conservatives win then we will have an important ally to the North. But if the Liberals are able to wrest enough seats away from the conservatives, then we will have no ally in Canada. So pray for the best result and if you are a Canadian then vote for the Conservative party. Thank you for reading this blog and continue to check up on this informative medium.