Gomery Fallout: WAKE UP PEOPLE! THE GOVERNMENT *CAN* FALL *AND* THE ELECTION DOESN'T NEED TO BE DURING DECEMBER

ALW links to a Reuters story indicating that Stephen Harper wants the government to fall but "doesn't like the idea of a December election"; the story further states that "[t]he first chance opposition parties have to bring down Prime Minister Paul Martin is on November 14, and if they succeed, there would be a vote at the end of December".

This canard is getting old, though I appreciate that it gives all four parties an excuse *not* to topple the government this autumn (perhaps they are all concerned about the recent volatility of the opinion polls).

There is no requirement that an election *must* be held within 36 days after the writ is dropped. This is only the *minimum* duration of an election campaign. The Canada Elections Act reads:

CONDUCT OF AN ELECTION

Writs of Election

General election -- proclamation

57. (1) The Governor in Council shall issue a proclamation in order for a general election to be held.

By-election -- order

(1.1) The Governor in Council shall make an order in order for a by-election to be held.

Contents

(1.2) The proclamation or order shall

(a) direct the Chief Electoral Officer to issue a writ to the returning officer for each electoral district to which the proclamation or order applies;

(b) fix the date of issue of the writ; and

(c) fix the date for voting at the election, which date must be at least 36 days after the issue of the writ.

Please, please tell me that someone in Ottawa actually realises this, and that the "December election" aversion is simply a consequence of how tepid all of the parties are of going to the polls sooner rather than later. There is no way, I suspect, that the a) if the Governor-General orders the issuance of the writ (in the instance that the Government falls on a non-confidence motion) that she would allow the election to take place at the end of December or b) that Cabinet (Governor-in-Council), if so permitted, would actually hold the election during the Christmas break, if only because *they* would fear engendering the ire of the electorate.

Joe Clark's government fell in December. We've had winter campaigns before. This is no reason to halt the removal of the government and governing party responsible for the worst political scandal in Canadian history.

It's dishonest for both the Opposition and the Government to delay what should be an inevitable vote of non-confidence premised on this artificial notion that "we simply cannot have an election in December" or that there is even a requirement that a November non-confidence motion would result in an December election.