VANCOUVER – Many political pundits think that Stephen Harper’s expensive and longest election campaign in Canadian history will make voters sick of the election and they may make Harper pay at the polls on October 19 by turfing his decade long government.
A political scientist from the University of the Fraser Valley said people may start to feel sick of ads and political signs now that we’re looking at an extra six weeks of campaigning for the federal election.
“I also suspect a lot of voters aren’t going to pay much attention to the campaign through the month of August,” Hamish Telford told News 1130. “After Labour Day when people go back to work, people get back to school, that’s when more people are likely to tune into what’s going on.”
Telford notes given the number of ads on places like Facebook, Youtube, and TV even before campaigns officially kicked off, we are likely headed towards what he calls “U.S.-style” full-time campaign mode.
He says it’s more about strategy than about the public good and that longer campaigns allow for more election spending.
“Since the Conservatives are the best-financed party this would appear to give them an advantage, but it also gives the other parties an opportunity as well.”
Many pundits also think that voters will get more annoyed by the Conservatives and the long election campaign will actually work against them at the polls.
