American Meddling in Canadian Elections

Michael Moore is aghast at the thought that Canadians might actually elect a Conservative government.

Oh, Canada -- you're not really going to elect a Conservative majority on Monday, are you? That's a joke, right? I know you have a great sense of humor, and certainly a well-developed sense of irony, but this is no longer funny. Maybe it's a new form of Canadian irony -- reverse irony! OK, now I get it. First, you have the courage to stand against the war in Iraq -- and then you elect a prime minister who's for it. You declare gay people have equal rights -- and then you elect a man who says they don't. You give your native peoples their own autonomy and their own territory -- and then you vote for a man who wants to cut aid to these poorest of your citizens. Wow, that is intense! Only Canadians could pull off a hat trick of humor like that. My hat's off to you.

Far be it from me, as an American, to suggest what you should do. You already have too many Americans telling you what to do. Well, actually, you've got just one American who keeps telling you to roll over and fetch and sit. I hope you don't feel this appeal of mine is too intrusive but I just couldn't sit by, as your friend, and say nothing. Yes, I agree, the Liberals have some 'splainin' to do. And yes, one party in power for more than a decade gets a little... long. But you have a parliamentary system (I'll bet you didn't know that -- see, that's why you need Americans telling you things!). There are ways at the polls to have your voices heard other than throwing the baby out with the bath water.

I'm from a part of the country (Maine) that is often accused of being an extension of Canada. As such, I have access to CBC and watched it last night. I don't think Americans have a real sense of how weak the Liberal party really is in Canada. Like the Democratic party here in the United States, the liberals focused their message on the urban areas of the country and ignored the growing discontent with their rule in rural Canada. Add in another liberal party and some surprisingly strong polling by Bloc Québécois, and you have a Liberal loss.

Is there a lesson here for the parties here in the United States?

No, not really.

I mean, it's freaking Canada.

Update By Ace: Pardon My English suggests a new map for Canada.

posted by Slublog at 09:21 AM

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