While no election campaign would be complete without a good amount of badmouthing and near-defamation of one’s opponents, it’s looking like this election is going to include nothing but, at least on the orangier side of things. New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton has seemingly abandoned the age-old campaign tradition of promising (ahem, “promising”) change in favour of taking on Big Brother Stephen.
When he’s not proclaiming that our Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper hates women, poor people and children (Harper probably hates baby pandas, too, right Jack?), Layton is taking it to the streets with this vague campaign slogan: “Stephen Harper can’t be trusted.”
The motto also appears on every chapter of Layton’s PM plan, which is laden with “What a jerk!”s and “Look at me! Look at meeee!”s. In fact, for the most part, each chapter of Layton’s plan follows the same formula.

From his plan for protecting the average consumer:
1) Talk about how bad things are in Canada (“Families like yours are struggling to make ends meet”)
2) Blame it on Stephen Harper (“[He] has abandoned you”)
3) Draw attention to Harper’s “$50-billion tax giveaway to those price-gouging drug companies, cell phone giants, big banks and big oil”
4) List reasons why Harper can’t be trusted (Basically, he doesn’t care about you or your loved ones)
5) List reasons why Liberal leader Stéphane Dion won’t do the job right
6) List things that he, Layton, has done in the past to do right by us Canadians (“Promoted a plan to phase in universal prescription drug coverage to protect you and your family from soaring costs”)
That’s all well and good, Mr. Layton, but umm . . . what do you plan to do for us now? Are you going to sit around playing solitaire if elected, or don a pair of red boots and a golden lasso and save the world? I can’t tell by reading your plan.
Considering the NDP is currently poling at around 15% according to yesterday’s Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll, and there is less than a month until the Big Day, I think it’s about time Layton steps up his game and leaves all these childish antics behind.
In conclusion, if any of you readers would like a front-row seat to the gong show that is the Stephen Harper is a Meanie tour, Jack Layton will be bringing the gospel to Halifax and Dartmouth, N.S. today. Check out the Toronto Star’s briefing for all your PM-candidate stalking needs.