Game On, eh!

Parliament returns this week for fall action and political pundits are lining up to watch! The Harper government, a minority strutting like a majority, is out to jockey for position leading up to an anticipated spring election. The Liberals meanwhile are still trying to sort their house out, with a long-delayed leadership race finally coming to a head in Novemember, barely enough time to introduce the chief in the House of Commons before the Christmas break. Jack Layton meanwhile must be sniffing blood in the water as the Conservatives move more towards the right and the Liberals are no where to be found in the Centre. It will be interesting to see how the NDP attempts to lure voters away from the Liberals. The Conservatives on the other hand, have one eye on the re-emerging affluent middle-class looking to consolidate real estate and energy wealth and the other eye on Quebec, long predicted to be the main battleground in the next election. A side question's no one's asking here: if Harper's strength rests on Ontario sharing in the economic bonanza of the West, what happens if the dollar stays high but Central Canadian exports dry up as the US slides ever more slowly into recession?