And they're off!

So, as many have heard the Nova Scotia election was officially called today as Lieutenant-Governor, Mayann Francis, dissolved the Nova Scotia Legislature. We will cast our ballots on June 9th after a 35-day campaign.

I, for one, am quite excited about the upcoming campaign. It promises to be very interesting campaign that will focus heavily on which party is best able to guide Nova Scotia through the economic duldrums faced by the province, the country and, indeed, the world.

What I find particularly interesting is that, in the midst of this economic uncertainty, polls are showing that a plurality of Nova Scotians are prepared to put their faith in the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party - the NDP being a party that history hasn't shown is the best one to lead provinces through recessions (sorry, Bob). The PC Government has been watching their fortunes flailing and have been conducting a smear campaign against Darrell Dexter's NDP for a number of weeks now. The Liberals, meanwhile, seem to have been just trying to get in a word edgewise.

As a Liberal, it's something of a disappointment to see the Liberal Party with no chance, short of a miracle, of winning Government during this election. It disappoints me still more that the NDP here is actually taken seriously as a potential governing party, let alone on the very threshold of winning Government. Nova Scotia remains the sole Atlantic Canadian province where the NDP is taken seriously, with New Brunswick and Newfoundland & Labrador electing their one and only NDP Member each during their last elections and PEI with a better chance of electing a Communist to their Legislative Assembly than a New Democrat. Yet here in the Bluenose Province, the NDP is a serious contender. Go figure.

Not that some of their ideas aren't good. I've always supported the idea of public auto insurance and, when I was down and out, it was the NDP MLA in my riding who helped me with my welfare application and working my way through their hoops to recieve benefits. I'm not opposed to their ideas, but I feel their place is as a social conscience and not a government.

So, happy Election Day!