{"id":415741,"date":"2011-05-02T13:08:51","date_gmt":"2011-05-02T13:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/05\/02\/canada-votes-in-general-election\/"},"modified":"2011-05-02T13:08:51","modified_gmt":"2011-05-02T13:08:51","slug":"canada-votes-in-general-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/02\/canada-votes-in-general-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada votes in general election"},"content":{"rendered":"

2 May 2011<\/span> Last updated at<\/span> 09:08 ET<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Voters in Canada are going to the polls in the fourth federal general election in seven years.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has warned if his Conservatives do not win a majority in parliament, he could be toppled by a leftist coalition.<\/p>\n

Recent opinion polls suggest the New Democratic Party (NDP) has made large gains in the past several weeks.<\/p>\n

Mr Harper’s minority government was forced into an election after a non-confidence vote in parliament.<\/p>\n

The vote came after Mr Harper’s government was found to be in contempt of parliament because of its failure to disclose the full costs of anti-crime programmes, corporate tax cuts and plans to purchase stealth fighter jets from the US.<\/p>\n

‘Stable government’<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr Harper, who took power in 2006, has seen his advantage in the election dwindle during the past several weeks, with the left-leaning NDP experiencing an unexpected surge in popularity.<\/p>\n

The prime minister made a final appeal on Sunday for a “strong, stable, Conservative majority government”, warning the NDP and Liberals could form a coalition blocking economic policies his party wishes to push forward.<\/p>\n

Figures released on Sunday by private polling firm Ekos indicated 34% support for the Conservatives, with the NDP, which ran a distant third at the beginning of the campaign, at 31%.<\/p>\n

Pollsters at Ekos, who said they questioned 2,876 Canadians in the survey<\/a>, reported the Liberal Party was trailing at 21%.<\/p>\n

Experts suggest a narrow Conservative lead would make it unlikely the party would win a majority of the seats in the House of Commons.<\/p>\n

But there is a possibility the left-centre vote could be split between the NDP and Liberals, allowing Mr Harper to squeeze out a majority.<\/p>\n

Mr Harper has won two elections but never with a majority in parliament’s 308 seats.<\/p>\n

“We can change the government. We’re not just going to oppose Mr Harper, we’re going to replace him,” said NDP leader Jack Layton.<\/p>\n

Mr Harper, a 52-year-old career politician, has said a win by the NDP could lead to out-of-control spending and higher taxes.<\/p>\n

Mr Layton, who favours high taxes and more social spending, has been a critic of Alberta’s oil sands sector, the world’s second largest oil reserves.<\/p>\n

Mr Harper has also said the Liberal Party, the largest opposition party, led by Michael Ignatieff, cannot be trusted to handle the economy.<\/p>\n

Mr Ignatieff, a 63-year-old former Harvard University professor, has accused Mr Harper of deceit, and has also said that Canadians have no confidence in his ability to look after the nation’s finances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read more from the original source:
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