ONE PERSON'S RIDICULOUS IS ANOTHER'S YA-BA-DA-BA-DOO!

Although her "street creds" are in serious disrepair; Elizabeth May, the Green Party Leader, may not be far off the mark suggesting Stephen Harper may himself spark a Federal Election.

Ms. May was ridiculed earlier in the week for suggesting to the "Halifax Chronicle Herald" that Mr. Harper will find a way to engineer an election this fall, even as he attacks Michael Ignatieff for trying to send Canadians to the polls. In so doing Elizabeth May was simply picking-up the vibes from rumours circulating in Ottawa since Thursday's release of the latest Ekos National Poll. It shows the Tories at 37% popular support, and the Liberals trailing about 9-points behind...a trend which suggests the Ignatieff Liberals are paying the nation's price for threatening another election less than a year into the last mandate.

A spokesman for Harper, Dimitri Soudas, ridiculed Elizabeth May's suggestion that Mr. Harper is a "control freak" who doesn't want to..."have a government that depends on reaching out to other parties, achieving consensus; moving forward based on giving a bit here, giving a bit there." - Mr. Soudas replied: "Liz May, Who?."

Ponder this: Since passage of the September 18th "Ways and Means" motion in the House of Commons with the support of the New Democrats and the Bloc Quebecois, most observers have concluded that the threat of a national election had been averted at the very least until after next February's Winter Olympic Games in British-Columbia. But, The Olympics are just the start of an ever growing list of events involving Canada in the first half of 2010 which will catapult the country to the forefront of the international stage. I can't name a Prime Minister, particularly one who likes complete control, who'd want to be threatened with a national election in the glow of the world's spotlight.

Sparking an election; a first for these Tories in which there's the glimmer of a majority in Parliament; may be tactically tempting for any Prime Minister about to host the sporting world at the 2010 Olympics; followed almost immediately by Canada's ever more likely election to a seat on the United-Nations' Security Council by winter's end...and the back to back hosting of leaders: First the G-8 Summit of the world's eight most powerful nations in Huntsville, Ontario; and then the G-20 of the planets most significant economies also to be held in the Muskokas before summer 2010 kicks into high gear. Who could possibly want pesky elections to gum-up that dream schedule? Kinda tempting to get one out of the way sooner rather than later wouldn't you think?

This scenario is a golden opportunity handed the Conservatives by Liberal Leader Michael Ignatifeff's ill advised, ill conceived ultimatum delivered in Sudbury (of all places) a couple or three weeks back that Harper's ..."time was up!" - What could the Liberal strategists have possibly been thinking? They got the headlines; the party's standing in the polls tanked; and we may be on the cusp of a Federal Election of convenience for Mr. Harper for which the Liberals will get blamed.

Events on the international stage in the first half of 2010 have aligned in ways which signal a critical period for Canada's own global "street creds". Clearing-up thorny domestic housekeeping issues on the homefront before the glare of the world's spotlight hits centre stage may be too tempting to pass-up or ignore.