COMMENTARY: Change is a dangerous game in elections

I’m Bill Kingston with today’s commentary. Countless politicians will tell you the only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. But the intentions or thoughts of Canadians seem to be off-putting when a new Nanos Research poll suggests over half of respondents believe the clearest change for Canada is the NDP and that it had the most “appealing policy platform.” Hopefully voters aren’t enticed by the carrot. While they are somewhat removed, the general ideology of the parties are the same whether they’re federal or provincial. The federal government of the day has never been New Democrat since Confederation. One only has to look at Saskatchewan which is now on the upswing after suffering through NDP rule from 1991 to 2007 while the shine appears to already be coming off the NDP in Alberta as approval ratings start to slip. Remember that cancer care center for Calgary NDP leader Rachel Notley promised in the election? Now there are no specifics on whether that’s going to happen. An appealing platform but what about delivering on it? I don’t even need to get into the track record of the NDP in Ontario in the 1980’s under Bob Rae. It’s too bad we didn’t have more time to see how the Alberta scenario played out before we go to the polls federally. But Canadians will get the government they elect. Let’s hope they see what’s happened on a provincial scale and not vote just for the sake of “change.” Voting just to change something rather than voting on substance seems to get more places in trouble these days.

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