This election campaign is shaping up to be one for the ages, according to an author who has tracked other epic electoral battles throughout Canadian political history.
John Duffy, author of Fights of Our Lives: Elections, Leadership and the Making of Canada, told CTV’s Power Play on Tuesday that this election is starting to show signs of being a “great one.”
“The issues at the table, they’re big,” said Duffy, who is a long-time Liberal. “Anytime you have a Harper government, which is really so different from all previous Canadian governments, fighting for its life, that means the basic question of the direction of the country is up for grabs.”
For Duffy, three things make for a memorable election campaign. First, it must possess a “great national issue,” such as free trade in the 1988 election. The structure of Canadian politics must also be in play, potentially affecting the way politics operate. Finally, there must be a good fight on hand that compels people to watch.
From the economy to the Syrian refugee crisis, Duffy says this campaign is “very policy-rich” so far. And he says the three-way fight in the polls has Canadians eagerly watching.
If this election, scheduled for Oct. 19, reaches Duffy’s standards, then it will join his rank of other great federal elections, as outlined in his 2002 book: 1896, 1926, 1958, 1980 and 1988.
