HANNAFORD: Canada's nightmare election scenario

Hate to break it to you but Mr. Trudeau may or may not be gone at the end of March — does anybody know anything for sure with him? But, with the support of the NDP, the Liberal Party itself could stagger on for quite a lot longer.Even, if they dared, to October 2026.Seriously. One can imagine the further damage they could do unburdened by the hope of ever achieving re-election, taking every crackpot policy they even dreamed of to ridiculous extremes.This sounds like crazy talk, of course — Western Canada’s Trudeau Derangement Syndrome, if you like: There is such a thing although sometimes, it doesn’t actually sound so crazy.But, why would the NDP continue to hold up the Liberals?Well, an election — whenever it happens — isn’t going to do them any good. They’re heading to lose seats. Further, only when the socialist party is holding a gun to the head of a weakened Liberal party does it have any influence.Meanwhile as an MP, what’s wrong with $200,000 a year plus the handsome pension for which some will qualify if they can hang on for a full six years?Sure, their pledge was to bring down the Liberals. But Singh made this promise with fingers crossed behind his back, and a Liberal government without Mr. Trudeau… well that could be cause for a lengthy reconsideration of options, couldn’t it?Perhaps because of the offence it would cause, a hyper-delayed election seems unlikely. But, before one dismisses the idea completely, I refer you to two things on the Western Standard website. .The first is the Michelle Rempel Garner interview recorded Monday with Western Standard Publisher Derek Fildebrandt and Opinion Editor Nigel Hannaford, shortly after the prime minister announced he would step down and call a leadership race.In the interview, Calgary MP Rempel Garner offered three reasons why a spring vote was unlikely..WATCH: CLUSTERF**K: Trudeau resigns in disgrace.1) Senior members of the NDP had declared they wouldn’t vote non-confidence in the Liberal government under any circumstances. Charlie Angus for example, said before Christmas that he would not so do so, as that would simply bring about a government led by Pierre Poilievre.So when it comes to it, Singh might not be able — or wish — to deliver the votes.2) There’s also past history… long after ‘ripping up’ their supply agreement with the Liberal government, the NDP supported them multiple times.3) And in Rempel Garner’s view, Singh would likely be quite at peace with that. In a perverse way, it keeps the NDP relevant. She explains: “Their sweet spot is exercising influence on a weak Liberal government and they want to keep it going, even if it means selling their souls.” A collateral benefit would be that retiring MPs hoping to qualify for the lucrative parliamentary pension have no motivation to look for an early election.“I think people who think we’re going for an early election are in for a disappointment… We are in a very critical time but looking at months of either no Parliament, or no Parliament and a hobbled, lame-duck Liberal prime minister. We need an election now.”Well yes, so we do.However, the supposed drop-dead date for the next federal election (October 20th this year) is just a legislated date. It was voted in and can be voted out; in fact with Bill C-65 it briefly was, supposedly to avoid clashing with a religious holiday but in an effort, it is widely thought, to allow marginal MPs to qualify for pensions. (Ultimately, the amending legislation was withdrawn. But the point remains; Parliament can set whatever date it wishes for an election. All that prevents governments from playing fast and loose with the date is conscience and optics, and in this government there’s little of the one or concern for the other. Thus, a Liberal-NDP coalition to do the same again, and there are material incentives for doing so.Rempel Garner’s one-time party colleague Jay Hill laid this all in April last year, in a column in the Western Standard. .HILL: How about a fifth year of Trudeau?.He wrote, “He could do this: delay the next election by a year. Not just for a week, like his recent Bill C-65 proposes, but up to another year as laid out in the Constitution. This provision hasn’t been used since Canada adopted so-called fixed four-year elections, but I’m sure he could come up with some lame rationale.”No doubt.So it may not be over. Be sure to check out the Western Standard editorial comment below. .EDITORIAL: Trudeau's resignation changes nothing, Liberal Party must burn.Also, check Publisher Derek Fildebrandt’s tomorrow morning in which he suggests that If Canadians want an election, a new convoy may be the only way to force one…

HANNAFORD: Canada's nightmare election scenario

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