Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Dear Diary:

Recently, I called an election which goes against the very law that I brought to Parliament two years ago. Don't be upset at me, though, because this election will still be in the spirit of that law.

In 2006 I said:

Fixed election dates prevent governments from calling snap elections for short-term political advantage.

They level the playing field for all parties and the rules are clear for everybody. ... fixed election dates stop leaders from trying to manipulate the calendar simply for partisan political advantage.

This election call is entirely consistent with that statement, because there is no political advantage to be had by calling it now. In fact, just the reverse! This becomes very apparent when you look at our economy. I've presided over one of the most severe economic downturns in living memory!

For example: Look at the Toronto Stock Exchange. Not only has my leadership marked the end of the boom under the Liberals, but we now have the beginning of a serious collapse.

Now that your retirement investments are in ruins, this is the perfect time to start paying more money for gas:

So, your retirement is gone, you can't afford to drive your car, but we're not done with you yet!

With the widespread collapse of the manufacturing sector, you've also lost your job due to layoffs, plant closings, and business failures galore!

And, just like Mulroney, I hope to spend Canada into a whole new level of debt. Just look at my first budget, increasing spending by 5.4%, and then overshooting that budget by actually increasing the spending by 7.5%. My next budget increased spending by 5.6%, and overshot again, spending 6.9% more. In the current fiscal year, I'm increasing spending by 8.4%, and bringing back a deficit just like the Mulroney days!

Ahhh... the Mulroney days...