News today out of British Columbia describes Paul Martin’s plea to NDP supporters in that province to vote Liberal because an NDP vote will essentially be a vote for Stephen Harper.
“There are two parties that could form the next government, and if you are thinking of voting NDP, I would ask you to think about the implications of that vote … In a race as close as this, you may well help Stephen Harper become prime minister.” — Paul Martin, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
The NDP front is yet another battle for Paul Martin in his battle against Stephen Harper. One the Quebec front, the Liberals issued this release today on the Liberal website which states,
“A vote for the Bloc is a vote to stop Canada�s momentum. It is a vote to allow Stephen Harper to form a government that, simply for ideological reasons, will increase military spending and lower taxes to levels well beyond what our economy can afford” — Stéphane Dion and Pierre Pettigrew, former and current Liberal cabinet ministers
Meanwhile, the current Liberal attack ad in Ontario draws parallels between former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and former Ontario Premier Mike Harris with Stephen Harper.
Paul Martin’s team is trying desperately to convince voters to vote against the Conservatives by not voting for the NDP or for the Bloc. What they may not realize is that voters are voting for these parties to, in fact, prevent the Liberals from retaining power rather than to prevent the Conservatives from attaining power. Everyone knows how close this horse race is now and a majority of Canadians believe that this Liberal government needs to be removed. Those that are voting NDP and especially those that are voting Bloc are well aware that this would mean a Conservative government, whether minority or majority.