Writing About Manitoba...

...is a great way to kill your traffic. Even Manitobans don't want to hear about Manitoba. HALLLOOO? HALLOOO? Anyone out there in the frozen tundra? I hear they've got a city somewhere in the snow where The Guess Who came from.

On another topic, Jeff points out that Wajid Khan will indeed be running again as a Tory in Mississauga-Streetsville. I don't have much to add to his comments, other than to note that this website, Betrayed By Wajid Khan, may serve as an important repository of wajiphernalia during the campaign. Not much at the site now, but perhaps this news will arouse the page owner to greater heights of righteous indignation.

PS. Did you know that Hazel McCallion refers to Khan as "wijid"?

More Signs of a Manitoba Election?

Gary Doer's Manitoba NDP has launched a series of attack ads against Tory boss Hugh McFadyen, one of which (I think) can be found here. Of course, Mr Doer is being cagey with regards to the timing of any election call:

Doer said the ads are not an indication that an election will be called within the next few days but added he would like to hold one near the four-year anniversary of the government's mandate, which is in early June.

The NDP government plans to introduce its budget today, and the Tories have threatened to stonewall its introduction.

Doer would not rule out an immediate election call if opposition parties prevent the budget from being introduced.

However, Doer has to go in 2006 or extend his term into its fifth year, which is usually the kiss of death for a provincial government. Since a Manitoba election call would make a Federal call very difficult to pull off until sometime in late May, which would land the Federal date in some time in June or July, a snap Manitoba election would almost certainly mean NO FEDERAL ELECTION IN 2007.

So live up to your name, Gary.

A Spanner In The Works

Like most Canadians, I hardly ever think of Manitoba. But if this story is true, our snow-blown cousins are set to step out of the frozen tundra and change the very course of Canadian history!

The colour of spring may be orange, blue and red in Manitoba this year.

Premier Gary Doer is poised to call an election any time now and his main rival -- Opposition Leader Hugh McFadyen -- believes it could be this Thursday.

"We're certainly preparing for the possibility that (Doer) could drop a budget on Wednesday and call an election Thursday even without any vote on the budget," said McFadyen.

McFadyen said the uncertainty in Ottawa and a possible federal election towards the end of April may compel Doer to go sooner rather than later.

Doer's spokesman, Jonathan Hildebrand, did not confirm or deny the possibility of the writ being dropped this week, only that the premier does not want the provincial election to overlap with a federal campaign.

Doer's latest term began in 2003, so he pretty much has to go this year. I find it very hard to believe that, should Doer pull the plug this week and presumably hold the vote near the end of April, Harper would turn around and within days call a Federal election. Further, with an Ontario election in October, Harper's window to act becomes very narrow, unless he wants to risk calling Canada to the polls in midsummer, which would be the kiss of death as far as I'm concerned (remember David Peterson!)

So, if Doer drops the writ over the course of the next couple of weeks, I will being even more confirmed in my belief that THERE WILL BE NO SPRING ELECTION, AND PERHAPS NO ELECTION IN ALL OF 2007. I still won't be taking bets, mind you...