Source:
Toronto Star... Unless the pollsters have totally misread the mood of the voters, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives look to be heading for another victory. As we said on Friday, that would be bad for the country. The last thing Canada needs is an affirmation of a government obsessed with control, dismissive of critics, and determined to further diminish the role of the state in charting a better future for the country.
Voters who believe that Canada can — and should — aim higher have an important decision. Until 10 days ago, they had only one realistic alternative to the Conservatives — the Liberal party under Michael Ignatieff. Today, that is no longer the case.
The New Democrats have been reinvigorated under the leadership of Jack Layton. After Monday, they may well challenge the Liberals as the principal national standard-bearer for the roughly two voters in three who disagree fundamentally with the course charted by the Harper Conservatives.
Progressive voters should give them their support on Monday.In the past it has been easy to dismiss the federal NDP as naive idealists. That no longer applies. In this campaign they have emerged as a credible force, for many reasons.
...
Read more:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/983376--toronto-star-endorses-the-ndp
The item is an editorial; the fact that it was published is truly the news -- big news in Canada. ;)
The Toronto Star is the largest (English-language) circulation newspaper in Canada. It is generally known, historically, as the PR firm for the Liberal Party. (A related column points out that it endorsed the NDP under Ed Broadbent in 1979, and the former Progressive Conservative Party under Bob Stanfield in 1972 and 1974, 1974 being when I voted PC myself as a strategic anti-Liberal/Trudeau vote.)
The footnote editorial to the one quoted above is an intelligent caveat:
But vote strategicallyIn some parts of the country there is a real risk that a surge toward the NDP could sap the Liberal vote and have the perverse effect of tipping more seats to the Conservatives. Voters worried about that should consider voting strategically — giving their support to the progressive candidate best placed to win.
In much of the GTA <Greater Toronto Area>, that means Liberals. Indeed, there are a number of seats that Liberals won by a narrow margin over Conservatives in 2008. <identifies ridings/candidates>
Going for the NDP in those ridings risks handing more seats to the Conservatives. That would be the worst outcome for the province — and the country.
To see how strategic voting works:
http://www.projectdemocracy.ca/Project Democracy is a tool to help you determine if there is a way to "amp up" your vote and stop a Harper majority. By using a riding by riding election prediction model based on the most up to date public opinion polls, we can tell you which Party is best positioned to defeat the Conservative in your riding. Just enter your postal code in the box to the right.
I live in a safe NDP riding, and that's become almost boring. ;)