My work often takes me on the road across Canada, and this evening I find myself in Moncton, New Brunswick. Although it sounds though it might warm up tomorrow, tonight Moncton is cold. In fact, as we strolled down Main Street this evening while returning from dinner, I remarked that it smelled like snow.
Weather is something about which taxi drivers nation-wide probably spend more time in conversation
than they would like. But if Norm the taxi driver has had his fill of the subject, it was not apparent last night as he ferried me from the airport to downtown.
Thankfully Norm understood that weather served plain might be a bit bland for even conservative pallets, so he liberally sprinkled our one-sided conversation with enough opinions about current news, democratic parties, and sports to leaven things up.
The Liberals, long the dominant federal party in New Brunswick, are in trouble. Norm says he will vote for Conservative candidate Daniel Allain, who is up against incumbent Liberal MP Brian Murphy. In 2006 Murphy took the riding by more than 8,000 votes, but that doesn't bother Norm. He says many of his fares are thinking Conservative, which is probably why both Stephen Harper and Stephen Dion made whistle-stops here this weekend. Like the rest of the province, Moncton appears to be in play.
As does Kamloops, although it seems the needle out west has moved in the opposite direction according to a new poll commissioned by the Kamloops News (Crawford and McLeod running neck and neck as campaign revs up) and CFJC-TV. Mr. Crawford never stopped campaigning after the 2006 election, while Ms. McLeod is still largely unfamiliar.
SPECULATION ALERT: Look for Ms. McLeod's to get some front page press time this week; with Harper scheduled to touch down in Vancouver and Victoria Wednesday, and CTV's election heat-map showing little time on the ground for the Prime Minister in the west, I wouldn't be surprised to see a next-to-next-to-last-minute photo-op in Kamloops to give Ms. McLeod the small lift she needs.
UPDATE: A couple of birdies from Antigonish told me that the race in Central Nova is tightening up, with Green Party leader Elizabeth May benefiting from her strong showing in the leadership debate. According to a Metro Halifax/CTV News poll, Mr. McKay now leads with 39% support, as opposed to 22% for Ms. May and 19% for NDP candidate Louise Lorefice. Is it possible this poll has missed a shift in support that will only become evident next week?
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