CTV’s Craig Oliver: Spring Election a Certainty…
March 26, 2007 · By Joel
Craig Oliver on Newsnet’s coverage of the Quebec election says that these results are “a win for Harper… a win for Canada” and that a spring election is now “a certainty.”
What do you think?
UPDATE: Let’s try a little live-blogging:
9:53: Charest trails by 400 in Sherbrooke. Can a leader-less party form government with a razor-thin plurality?
10:00: CTV desk predicts Liberal minority. First vote will be on the budget, which, one would assume, will be drastically rewritten with ADQ help.
10:04: Charest now trails by over 700. Wells’s First Rule of Politics is being brutally violated.
10:23: Dennis Trudeau on CTV’s panel suggests that if Charest loses (currently trails by 1000), the Liberal caucus will have to elect the next leader. Panel agrees.
10:36: Charest’s narrowing the gap in Sherbrooke.
10:38: This article by Alexander Panetta outlines the close ties between the federal Tories and the ADQ — which seem to indicate good things for a forthcoming federal election.
10:48: CBC/Radio-Canada have declared Charest defeated. Still seems like he has a chance based on CTV’s numbers. Many tears on-screen at PQ headquarters. Good.
11:17: Boisclair mentioned Quebec’s development about three or four times for every time he mentioned Quebec’s independence. He did not concede, and he came off well. Because it’s a minority that could fall at any time, perhaps he’ll be around for the next one?
11:23: Charest elected in Sherbrooke. Dumont about to give his concession speech. Charest went from 60 down to almost 700 up in about 4 polls. That’s a huge swing. Big comeback, and this will help stabilize the Liberal minority (though I think the knives will still be out for Charest).
11:31: Dumont describes theme as “family,” thanks his… it was suggested before his speech, that the price of his support for the budget might be a $100 monthly cheque for families with stay-at-home mothers.
So, yeah… I think Harper could do ok here.
11:34: Boisclair’s speech was interrupted by chants of “le Quebec, un pay,” Dumont’s by “Mario, Mario.”
11:38: “families… the middle class… seniors.” Spring. Election.
If Oliver said that, than I say it’s bad for Harper, bad for Canada and there will be a winter election.
These MSM people are becoming like the weather forecasters , when they predict a 85% chance of rain and it doesn’t they say that it was the 15% chance or it not raining .
So Oliver is playing it safe by claiming there will be an Election and if their isn’t he’ll make it look like Harper called it off for fear he wouldn’t get a Majority win.
F the media. F the press. F the elites. F the pundits. Candadians are smart. They will vote for the reasonable party that is the CPC under Stevie H.
I saw it mentioned somewhere, maybe on French language TV, the big swing the Charest vote came from when they opened up the early voting boxes, which they waited until the end to do.
The only indication that there will be a spring election is that press won’t shut up about it. All signs from the government are that they are trying to do away with this type of electoral manipulation by setting fixed dates for elections. Why won’t the press give it a rest. Are they that desperate for news?