Uh oh.
It appears that Jack Layton has lost a key supporter in Buzz Hargrove and the CAW. Buzz has been piloting the Liberal Party for a while now ever since he sketched out his demands on the back of a napkin in a hotel room in downtown Toronto. Apparently, Hargrove’s official reason is that he wants to stop Stephen Harper at all costs and thus, he’ll back the Liberals.
This is good news for the Conservative Party and here’s why:
This is an implicit compliment for the Conservative Party as it implies that Stephen Harper’s got a very real shot at forming government.
This announcement will make Jack Layton fight so much harder for his support base and this will take the heat off of the Conservative leader. Depending on how desperate the situation gets, Jack Layton may even be heard declaring that Stephen Harper is as threatening as a kitten and that Paul Martin is the scariest thing for Canadians since George W Bush (remember, this is Jack’s POV).
It is also debatable on whether or not strategic voting works. There may be solidarity when it comes to the union dental plan, but Stephen Harper’s GST tax cut and his income tax cuts yet to be announced will mean a real difference for everyone who is employed and everyone that spends.
Furthermore, left-wing people that I know that vote Liberal because they can’t stand unions will have yet another thing to stomach before they cast their ballot.
This also intensifies the battle for the left while a majority of Canadians have centrist and centre-right ideologies.