It's votin' time!

171 MPs just stood in support of the non-confidence motion - more than enough to bring down the government. [Update: CP story here.]

The Conservatives are behind in most of the polls, but this election is ours to win. My advice:

1. Don't let the Liberals set the agenda. They have betrayed the public trust, and the onus is on the Martin government to show why it deserves to stay in power - not on Stephen Harper to prove he isn't "scary".

2. Don't be afraid to run as Conservatives, not a "Lite" version of the Liberal Party of Canada. Canadians are much more open to new ideas in areas such as health care and immigration than the CBC or Toronto Star would have you believe.

3. Lock Ralph Klein in the basement until after election day. No, it isn't fair that Alberta gets all the blame for "destroying" medicare when Quebec is further along in introducing private health care. And it isn't fair that the Conservatives are dismissed as a "Western" party, when the Liberal caucus is overwhelmingly from Ontario. But that's the line the Liberals want to push, and many Canadian media outlets (I'm thinking of a newspaper whose name rhymes with "Robe and Bail") will enthusiastically push it for them. The last thing Harper needs is Ralph Klein to open his mouth about medicare.

4. If the Liberals bring up Iraq, throw Paul Martin's statements in support of the war back in their faces - and emphasize that Iraqis are lining up for hours to exercise their right to vote, while the Liberals are trying to make you believe it's somehow too hard for Canadians to exercise that right in the winter.

5. If the Liberals accuse the Tories of plotting to "destroy" medicare, ask Paul Martin where his personal physician works.

6. And most of all: it's not enough to tell Canadians they shouldn't vote Liberal. Canadians want an alternative. Let's give them one.

Let's get it on!

Posted by damian at November 28, 2005 08:32 PM | TrackBack