Is Harper trying to force a spring election?
Prime Minister Stephen Harper looked like he was stumping on the campaign trail Saturday. He attended the Winter Carnival in Quebec City where he flipped burgers and mingled with the crowd. The prime minister’s public display isn’t the only reason political pundits are predicting that an election call is not far away. Ottawa is on high alert after several aggressive moves by the Conservatives last week that have destabilized the parliamentary balance. The Tories introduced two bills that are expected to lead to confidence votes in March: the omnibus crime bill and legislation on Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. A third confidence test will come after the federal budget is tabled later this month. But if the conservatives want an election, they will have to goad opposition parties to take Canada to the polls. Under his own fixed-date election legislation, Harper is unable to dissolve parliament until October 2009. Harper’s personal popularity numbers are also dropping, according to rece
