Canada: Debate of the Party Leaders: They make an interesting set of political party leaders - chimera of pluralism

This debate was Paul Martin's last chance to head off Stephen Harper's rise in portion of the vote, according to polls.

Martin got some favourable response, but not nearly enuff to reverse the trend toward Harper's election as Head of Government, as well as Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He acknowledged he wasn't strong on spin or passion. We will get a new order of Accountability in Government should Harper win the plurality of votes and seats in the House of Commons.

Harper was far too honest in speaking to Conservatives in the USA sometime back, as alleged by Martin, in noting for that audience the Liberal model for Canada: A North European welfare state. I think the Federal Government has been molded by the Liberal Government into conformity with this model, this conceptualization of what kind of country Canada is and how it's modelled on Sweden and Finland. Harper, if he coined the expression, would simply have been saying the truth about the model by which the Liberals have tried to shape the country thru the reigns of Trudeau, Chrétien, and Martin. The reigning Foreign Policy approach was Pearsonian; under Harper's leadership Canadian Foreign Policy will be somewhat more aligned to that of the USA, but with considerably more bargaining power on trade between the two countries, to Canada's advantage.

Jack Layton, leader of the Yuppie Socialists, did well, considering his statist and nanny philosophy. A bit over-evangelical (adjective, not noun).

Duceppe was himself. I've come to respect him for voicing a difficult position in a forum stacked against separatism. But that's Canada. In the course of his participation, Gilles Duceppe certainly put on the political map the newest scandal related to the 1995 Referendum on Québec's separation from Canada, yes or no. Option Canada brings us back to full circle

Back to Martin, the scandalworn veteran who won't go down without a fite.

What's next? - Politicarp