Introducing Mr. Ignatieff, our next Prime Minister?

With a tenuous hold on the House of Commons, Harper's recent handling of the the crisis in the Middle-East is throwing considerable doubt on his political future. While it is too early to tell when the next federal election will be called, many are predicting Harper's to be a short-lived government. Public opinion polls show that the majority of Canadians feel that Harper's recent actions in the Middle-East demonstrate two things: 1. ours is not the most worldly of PMs, and 2. is content playing second fiddle to George Bush. Considering part of the Liberal campaign strategy was to allude to Bush's fondness for Harper, Harper is playing into Liberal hands. Similarly, the Harper government's undermining of the Kyoto Accord is helping to emphasis differences between the Liberals and the Tories.

The election of Stephen Harper was viewed as a victory for the West and big business, but perhaps this is a rose-coloured picture. More accurately, it was a defeat of the Chretien-Martin legacy, with millions of disenchanted Grits fleeing the Liberal ship. If Harper fails, as he currently is, to make common cause with this support base, in the next election they will no doubt flow back to the Liberals. Although the Liberals are currently in search of a leader, and the indication seems to be Michael Ignatieff, all they would need to do in the next election is conduct a campaign to lure those voters back.