AED Alert: AED Engages Candidates as Campaign Hits Homestretch
With the federal election campaign coming to an end as September 20 approaches, AED continues to engage candidates from all parties. Earlier today, AED delivered a letter to everyone vying to be a member of the next parliament to educate them about the impact of right to repair policies on the equipment industry. Given the successful progress of a Liberal Private Members Bill in the last parliamentary session and the support of right to repair in the Conservative and NDP platforms, it is expected that this will be a key policy issue for the industry following the election.
To read the letter sent to all candidates visit: http://aednet.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/AED-CandidatesLetter.pdf
Election Preview
All indications are the election remains a very tight race and Canada’s rising cost-of-living, particularly soaring housing costs, continues to be the predominant issue among voters. Polling currently has the Liberals at 32 percent; the Conservatives at 31 percent; the NDP at 19 percent; the Bloc Quebecois at seven percent; the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) at six percent; and the Greens at three percent.
Although the Liberals and Conservatives are statistically tied, the Liberals have greater regional strength in Ontario and Quebec, favouring them to retain a minority government. However, a strong showing by the NDP in places like Toronto and Vancouver could hurt the Liberals. Likewise, the Liberals could be helped by the PPC, attracting votes away from the Conservatives. Both the Liberals and Conservatives are challenged in being able to reach a majority due to the continued strength of the Bloc in Quebec.
At the beginning of the campaign, the Conservatives were able to take the lead by introducing their platform and promoting Erin O’Toole to Canadians. Meanwhile, the Liberals fell behind as they announced stale policy ideas that had already been introduced months before. However, around Labour Day weekend, many of the Liberal attacks on the Conservatives began to take hold, including on assault weapons, climate change and abortion.
Stay tuned to AED for post-election analysis and what the results will mean for the equipment industry’s policy priorities.
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