Is this where we are now? Really?
It appears that Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has found his big election issue and it is, the Canada Food Guide. Yes.
We are now so fractured politically that simply restructuring the Food Guide is partisan. Health Canada tweaked the Food Guide back in January, recommending people eat protein that comes from plants more often, as well as eating plenty of vegetables and fruit, whole grain foods and protein foods.
Scandalous. This scurrilous attack on our very democracy cannot stand! Or words to that effect from Andrew Scheer.
Scheer says the new guidelines are biased against some healthy foods and is ideologically driven by people who have a philosophical perspective and a bais against certain types of healthy food products. They are biased against milk, Scheer says.
Wow. I’ve never given ‘eat your vegetables’ that much deep thought.
Scheer made his comments to his friends The Dairy Farmers of Canada. You remember them. It was with support from the dairy people that Scheer was able to overcome Maxime Bernier’s bid for leadership of the Conservative Party. Bernier, you’ll recall, was promising to do away with the sacred cow — pardon the pun — of dairy quotas.
So Scheer thinks dairy is getting a raw deal in the Food Guide and he is here to champion it.
Think of the campaign slogans.
Making Canada Better With Cheddar!
Make Canada Gouda Again!
Monterey Jack Matters!
The Brie Stops Here!
A Time for Gorgonzola!
It’s Mascarpone Again in Canada!
A Kinder, Gentler Camembert!
Andrew Scheer - White Milk for Canada!
BTW, CBC News quoted a professor at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, as calling Scheer’s comments “intensely stupid”.
Intensely stupid is not a description most politicians would be proud of.
The Toronto Star Editorial Board said, “If there’s a more blatant example of a Canadian politician pandering to an interest group in his search for votes, we’d like to see it.”
Blatant pandering is also not a phrase a politician would like to be associated with.
Meanwhile, polls are tightening. Maclean’s Magazine took a look at all the most recent polls and finds that a minority government is the most likely scenario at this point. Whether that is a Conservative or Liberal minority remains to be seen.
But there is no doubt that the massive Conservative lead in the polls is shrinking. Current numbers have the Conservatives at 34.5 per cent and the Liberals at 32.3 per cent. And in terms of projected seat numbers, it’s almost a dead heat.
Perhaps the biggest change could come at third place where the Green Party is hot on the heels of the NDP.
Now here is an interesting thought. Would the Conservatives be better served by losing a tight election?
There is no doubt that Andrew Scheer is not catching fire with the Canadian voter as the Party had hoped. If he squeaks through with a minority win, is that really best? Or, if he loses, would the Party seize the opportunity to look for a different leader?
Those who are sharpening their knives in anticipation would certainly have ammunition to call for a leadership review. They could point to the massive lead over a definitely wounded, Trudeau-lead Liberal Party that Scheer’s campaign has allowed to whittle down to a tie.
They could even point to Scheer choosing to become a champion of cheese this summer as a questionable choice.
They could find someone who didn’t ally himself so closely with Ontario’s Doug Ford, who is polling in the sub-basement of the basement at Queen’s Park.
The NDP are going to find themselves in much the same boat, with many predicting leader Jagmeet Singh will face a leadership review as well.
And, is Trudeau’s leadership safe if he can’t even pull out a minority?
Election night is going to be must see TV, not only to see who wins, but to see how certain parties react to losses.