Something new in this federal election is the popularity of “social media” whereby citizens are communicating on the Internet.
The beauty of this is, for the participants, anyway, there are no restrictions. Comments and the sites don’t contravene Elections Canada rules because they don’t originate with any political party.
One website has had more than two million “hits.” The site gives a history of the Harper government’s record over the last five years. Some things didn’t get much attention at the time, some have been forgotten. Sources for all the items are given, no fakes, but the editorial comment is cheeky as might be expected from the site’s name.
The “ordinary people” behind the site say elections raise freedom of speech issues, which are key in a democracy. Young people (who are said not to vote) are paying attention to Internet communications. The question is, will social media have any impact on the election’s outcome?
One election down, with Adrian Dix chosen to lead the New Democrats, the province’s official Opposition. It isn’t known when Premier Clark will call a provincial election. Her past dealing with B.C. teachers has come back to bite her with the court ruling that she acted unconstitutionally when negotiating with B.C. teachers. This could lead to stormy bargaining this year.
There will be municipal elections this fall for sure and things are beginning to look interesting on the local scene.
Mayor Cook says she will seek a second term.
Rumours are circulating that others might have a go at the top job. What I‘m hearing “on the street” is that fiscal management is the main issue.
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This time last year I was writing about unusual weather.
Question. What kind of weather is unusual anymore?
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.