What’s happening politically in Canada? Well, for the most part, we are back to where we started. Conservatives and Liberals are close but Harper still has an edge of about 5 points with 34% of the poll. NDP is stuck in low 20’s. Greens and Block are bellow 10%. So says CPAC Nanos for about 2 consecutive days, we’ll have to wait and see if those numbers hold up. There are a lot of other polls out there showing different results. I don’t know which poll is better, there are enough of them to fit whatever you want to believe. My sense is that the CPAC Nanos poll sounds about right, although I think NDP’s numbers seem low. In reality, national polls are only as valuable as the number of people that believe them. What really matters is the number of seats each party will win and that depends on local support and organization. So far, its looking like a repeat of the 2006 election.  

My earlier prediction still holds (for now): Minority Conservative Government. The interesting part will be to see if Dion will manage to hang on as leader. Jack Layton has been NDP’s leader since 2003 and my guess is that he’ll stay on until the next one since its likely to be another minority. Elizabeth May finally has some name recognition so she really should stay on. 

If you haven’t made up your mind yet and are having a hard time, I humbly recommend making your decision based on the candidates in your local riding. Thats what I plan on doing. Here are some ideas: Check out the pamphlets that they’ve spent a lot of money and volunteer power on. Another idea is to visit a local debate, they can be very entertaining. Otherwise, there is always google, a candidate’s website is a good place to start. Blogs can be a fun read so if you got a little time, I recommend going there. I have some links on the side to get you started.