Oh, its on like Diddy Kong!

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced a new election campaign and already my wife is making fun of me for geeking out and reading/watching every scrap of news I can find on it.  I happen to enjoy election campaigns in this country, especially if they turn out the way I like.

I will admit that I was a bit disappointed that the Conservatives are initiating the call.  I really liked the idea behind fixed election dates and knowing that we would be able to avoid frequent bouts of political opportunism.  That being said, I do think that the PM has a point when he says that this parliament has reached its useful end.

I have no idea what the party leaders talked about during their meetings at 24 Sussex Drive.  But at least they were able to meet and say whether or not they could support a Tory agenda.  Recent months have shown that the opposition, and particularly the Liberals, were gearing up for a vote anyways, so I don't really see how this comes as a surprise.  I personally think that what Dion and company are really peeved about is that they got blindsided by Harper and couldn't pick the date for themselves.  Tough noogies.

I honestly have no idea what to expect for this campaign.  At this point, there don't seem to be too many key issues that have captivated the public.  People in my neck of the woods seem to be pretty content with life in general... the only political chat I hear, which is very rarely, has to do with a proposed Liberal carbon tax which no one I've met wants.  Apart from that life moves along.  For that reason I'll place my bet on yet another minority.

I'm eager to follow this campaign and see what the parties have in store.  I'll be volunteering extensively with Rahim Jaffer's campaign here in Edmonton Strathcona when I'm not catching up on my news.  Here's hoping that this campaign can ignite people's imaginations once again.