Mulcair rejects strategic co-operation with Liberals to engineer Tory defeat

[Newsjock]

Source: The Globe and Mail

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is rejecting any last-minute electoral co-operation with the Liberals that would engineer a Conservative defeat, saying his party still has a chance to form government when the votes are counted on election day.

A group calling itself Just The Facts Canada ran a full-page ad in The Globe and Mail on Tuesday urging Mr. Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau to cede ridings to each other in constituencies where public opinion surveys suggest they have little chance of winning and vote-splitting could pave the way for a Conservative victory. It is just one of several proposals for strategic voting being promoted by groups that aim to defeat Stephen Harper.

... To those who would suggest pre-election co-operation with Mr. Trudeau, he said: “I will say to those people they should go back to the 2011 polls – the same polls that were showing that the NDP was in fourth place in Quebec a week out from the election campaign.”

... Despite surveys that suggest his party has dropped to third place – lagging 10 percentage points behind the front-running Liberals – Mr. Mulcair is still aggressively campaigning for the win and is primarily going to places where his party hopes to take seats from the Conservatives.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/mulcair-rejects-last-minute-deal-with-liberals-to-defeat-conservatives/article26781579/

[Joe Shlabotnik]

1. Why would the NDP cede anything at this point.

Anyone can still win this, and this is the best chance the NDP have ever had. I hope people don't switch their vote out of fear, fed by pollsters, media and mysterious groups (who can afford to buy full page ads in the Globe), that never want to see an NDP government.

[alcina]

2. At the campaign office I'm at

they were trying to figure out who was behind this group. Anyone here have any ideas?

But did Justin Trudeau say he'd cooperate with the NDP? Last I heard -- just a few days ago, in fact -- he was still refusing to discuss any cooperation with any party, saying it was premature. How odd, then, that the headline didn't read "Trudeau rejects...."

And just a side note: The article claims Mohammed Fahmy "has refused invitations to take part in Conservative campaign events." But just this evening, Mr Fahmy was interviewed on CBC and when asked about meeting with the conservatives, he said he hadn't received any invitations.

Oh Globe & Mail, how you disappoint me. And here I thought you'd be my rebound paper after I dumped The Star.