It is interesting to compare the federal election styles between Canada and the United States. Presidential and mid-term elections every second year in November, plus primary season, mean that the U.S. electoral process is seemingly always ongoing. By way of contrast, the writ for an election in Canada went in last weekend and we’re going to the polls on October 14th. Relatively speaking, Canada’s election was called yesterday and the vote takes place tomorrow. Either we’re extremely reckless or inordinately blasé.

It’s not entirely true to say that the Canadian election is an overnight affair. After all, there has been a minority Conservative government at the helm in Ottawa since January 2006. The threat of a general election has been pending for the past two-and-a-half years.

It seems that the U.S. election has a great many more contentious issues at this time than Canada’s. Consider the following debating points. These can be arranged in any order, depending on one’s own subjective set of priorities. (1) An economy with serious problems and government bailouts in the financial sector. (2) Housing starts that are at unbelievable lows and home prices that are in freefall. (3) The war in Iraq and military commitments in other trouble spots. (4) The most productive means to reduce energy dependency. (5) A perceived ongoing terrorist threat and the question of who is best equipped, by experience and/or judgement, to deal with it. And (6) the most effective and/or fairest means to deal with the influx of illegal aliens and the demands that this is placing on the social network.

There is some overlap in Canada. First, there are questions about Canada’s ongoing military presence in Afghanistan. Second, tax and spending issues will always be contentious fodder for the major parties to use as talking points. But the major demarcation point between the campaigns north and south of the border is likely to be the emphasis given to the environment.

“Green” issues such as sustainability and controlling carbon emissions are much more front and centre in the platforms of the opposition Liberals and NDP in Canada than they are in either the Democratic or Republican positions in the U.S. What the future holds in terms of “carbon taxes” (under whatever name) will have a major impact on investments in Canada, particularly with respect to energy projects – both electric power and fossil fuels, such as in Alberta’s Tar Sands.

Hold on to your seats. It will be an interesting five weeks in Canada and eight weeks for our American cousins. These are the news-blitz and daily-polling times that political junkies live for.

Alex Carrick

Find Canadian construction-related economic articles in Canadian Construction Market News and in the Economic Outlook section of Daily Commercial News.

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09/11/2008 - posted by marcus

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