ARE YOU READY FOR A FALL ELECTION?

Everything seems to point to a Canadian federal election this fall.

Justin Trudeau and his Liberal party are busy doling out cash to a nation already flush with pandemic relief dollars. They think that should buy them the majority in the next parliament.

Jagmeet Singh is criss-crossing Canada campaign style – he’d top every promise Trudeau makes with even more vote-friendly funding. He doesn’t have to worry about how he’ll deliver on his sales pitch, he’s not likely to be the next Prime Minister.

And that leaves the Conservative leader with a few options to consider. And so he has.

He called a virtual press conference, which Desi News attended, and announced a plan he thinks will curry favour with ethnocultural voters who might decide the outcome in quite a few ridings in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.

Plan One, strengthen credential recognition for newcomers.

“Helping newcomers maximize their success by allowing them to work in their field of knowledge will be good for Canada, good for the economy, and, most importantly, good for these workers and their families,” said O’Toole. “Upon taking office, a Conservative government will immediately launch a Credential Recognition Task Force to develop new timely and appropriate credential recognition strategies.”

One of the reporters at the press conference mentioned that newcomers to Canada have faced this hurdle for over 30 years and no party, the Conservatives included, has done anything meaningful to mitigate the situation. We have doctors and engineers driving cabs and delivering pizzas, he said.

O’Toole said a government headed by him would address the problem and find a just solution.

His Plan Two: Should they come to power, Canada’s Conservatives will take specific initiatives to advance human rights around the world.

Make it a criminal offence for someone to go abroad to participate in or benefit from a serious violation of human rights, such as forced organ harvesting and trafficking.

Limit the ability of the government to grant waivers permitting human rights abusers to come to Canada.

Create and maintain a public list of prisoners of conscience and create mechanisms by which Canadians can petition to add names to that list.

Does that mean China will be held to account for the plight of Uyghurs?

Will the two Michaels be safely back on Canadian soil soon?

The leader of the Conservatrive Party wants you believe that. Seriously.

“These policies will mark a sharp transition from the Liberal era of cozying up to dictators and tolerating horrific violence against the world’s most vulnerable,” he said.

Very prime ministerial.

Meanwhile Trudeau just promised six billion dollars to Quebec for their already much-subsidised child care, hoping a few seats from that province will catapult him into the majority territory.

Deficit? National debt?

Oh, don’t be so boring, darling. We all could do with some masala after this bland pandemic-induced house arrest.