Ottawa

BTC: Scenes from a call-in show

On the air with CP24 this afternoon, speculating with Ipsos Reid’s John Wright. (Long story short, I haven’t the faintest idea what’s going to happen. John at least had some actual, quantitative research to reference.)

The first two callers are as follows.

First, a female political science student. Proceeds to run down every way in which Stephen J. Harper has failed as a leader, from undermining his own fixed election date legislation to skipping the Olympics to failing to attend an international AIDS conference. She doesn’t like him. And she has about 106 reasons for feeling as such.

Next, a man who identifies himself as working in the manufacturing sector. Harper’s been a steady leader. Can’t vote for Dion because his carbon tax would be ruinous.

John, with numbers to back his assertion up, notes that male voters are Dion’s big weakness. A subsequent caller says Manufacturing Guy needs to realize that it was Conservatives governments who mortally wounded his industry in the first place. Someone else crabs about those Liberal jerks in the Senate. An elderly man deems this the most important election of his lifetime.

Anyway. Make of this what you will. But it is perhaps possible—if also dangerous—to take from those first two callers an indication of what is to come these next six weeks and what is to decide who gets to lead Canada’s 40th Parliament.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.