As much as he likes to portray himself as being different, Stephen Harper is an old-style politician at heart.
And that was clearly evident when the Conservative prime minister descended on Rideau Hall Sunday, asking the governor-general to dissolve Parliament, paving the way for the third federal election in four years.
After all, there was no reason for Harper to send Canadians to the polls Oct. 14. Under fixed-date legislation promoted by his own government, the next election isn't scheduled to occur until Oct. 19, 2009.
"Fixed dates stop leaders from trying to manipulate the calendar. They level the playing field for all parties," said Harper in 2006, according to an article in the Toronto Star.
"Hopefully, in the next election, we can run on our record and we won't need the manipulation of the electoral calendar."
So what does this say about the record of the Conservative government, if he's resorted to manipulating the electoral calendar?
Harper has suggested Parliament wasn't functioning, but does that mean the business of ordinary Canadians wasn't being done, or simply that the Tories weren't getting their way?
Based on any discussions I have had over the last few days, it appears that most people want a federal election as much as they enjoy the never-ending phone calls from credit card companies offering them record-low interest rates.
And that situation is largely a result of voter fatigue. Beyond the triad of federal elections, there were just civic elections three years ago and another round of those is set for this November. There was also a provincial election in 2005, and under B.C.'s fixed-date policy, there will be one in May 2009. It may be democracy in action but it gets rather tiring.
Of course there is also a significant cost every time Canadians head off to the polls.
I've heard the price tag for this vote could be a whopping $30 million, and when you consider that another minority Parliament is likely, it's a huge waste of cash. It also shows that Harper isn't the great defender of the public treasury as he would like all of us to believe.
And if you are looking for any other examples of political games, there is the fact that the Conservatives were shovelling out the dough in huge numbers just days before the election call.
Harper used to describe similar actions by the former Liberal administration as vote-buying, so how is what he is doing any different?
Yes some of the projects are crucial, including the widening of Highway 97A through Spallumcheen. But when you consider that local mayors and councils have been demanding federal assistance for years, the timing of the announcement is suspect.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation reports that $8.8 billion was spent by the Conservatives during the three months prior to dropping the writ.
“Here we go again, another federal election and another big spending bender. Only this time it is coming from a political leader who in opposition loudly denounced the same misuse of tax dollars,” said John Williamson, CTF federal director, in a news release.
And ultimately that appears to be the bottom line.
Through his spending habits and willingness to flaunt election laws, Harper has proven that he may be a Liberal in Conservative clothing.
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