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And so it ends...for a few months. The WEC staff has already collected $287 for the office "predict-the-date-the-Harper-government-falls" pool. Humble readers, you are encouraged to submit your best guess. So long PM PM. Hello Smirky Stephen. The number of gloomy faces we passed this morning was staggering, especially from a city where all seats went Liberal (the pollsters didn't see 20 coming back) or NDP (3). Others felt mild relief that the Tory landslide predicted a week ago didn't happen. It's not reassuring to see stalwarts of the Harris era in Ontario like Tony Clement (who won by only 21 votes - we're waiting for the recount) and Jim Flaherty back in government. Fingers crossed that history fails to repeat itself, or, as many commentators predict, the Tories' position is precarious enough for the other parties to hold them in check. Otherwise, pump up your stock portfolio with distillers, as the country may need several rounds of stiff drin...

Signs, fishwrap - plenty to cover as the campaign enters its final hours. Newsstand Watch A.S. Pryncesse looks at what the papers say... Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Electoral Deathwatch 2006! As election day draws nearer and it becomes progressively clearer that a change of government is in the offing, the national papers have begun circling like buzzards around the most likely political victims. The bodies of Belinda Stronach and Scott Brison appear to be ripest for pecking. On Wednesday, The Globe fronted with a picture of each, both looking vaguely troubled, and followed with articles that are quietly confident each will eke a victory. The Star , reporting on a meeting between La Belinda and La Buzz, was well-hidden, but no less hopeful. Don Martin, in his Wednesday column for the Post , counted both Stronach and Brison among the "Hopeful Dead", the group of wealthy Liberal ministers (including Jean Lapierre, Ken Dryden, David Emmerson, John McCallum and...

Less than a week to go... Most Obscure Political Party Award Official campaign vehicle found this weekend in Kensington Market. Unverified rumour as to whether their campaign song is a reinterpretation of the Ramones' The KKK Took My Baby Away . Celebrity Endorsement of the Week When a race is as tight as the fight between Olivia Chow (NDP) and Tony Ianno (Liberal) in Trinity-Spadina, any endorsement will do, as in this sign found on Dundas across the street from the construction site formerly known as the Art Gallery of Ontario. Newsstand Watch A.S. Pryncesse looks at what the papers say... I think the Globe has developed a split personality… Just when I thought I had pigeonholed the paper as having jumped on the Smug Stephen bandwagon, it decided last Friday to front a large picture of Smug Stephen beside Ricky from Trailer Park Boys , along with the question ‘Evolved?’ While comparing Smuggy to white trash isn’t exactly a subtle approach to reporting, it’s ...

One of our intrepid WEC field reporters had a stunning expose to shock voters to the core, ready to go for this episode...until his laptop got in the path of a Stephen Harper snowball. Newsstand Watch A.S. Pryncesse returns with another look at what the papers say... The Globe and Mail is closing in on its prey... A lot can change in a week. If the polling numbers are to be believed, and this humble writer remains ever skeptical, the Conservatives are 8-10 points ahead of the Liberals and Smug Stephen will soon become Prime Minister. Not wanting to pick a loser, the Globe has apparently abandoned its role as Liberal apologist and begun to print more overtly critical articles about the Liberal party, while correspondingly writing more complimentary articles about the Conservatives. Things began quietly early in the week; their report on the English debate was actually quite balanced, highlighting some of the best quotes from every party leader (meanwhile, the National Pos...

A week-and-a-half to go in the campaign and the pot is boiling over. Most polls show the current media-darling Conservatives in the lead, as Liberal bungling increases - now it's a furor over a pulled ad. The NDP is sticking to its guns, but will that be enough to prevent nervous voters starting to hear the "M" word (as oppposed to the "m" word) used next to the phrase "Conservative government" from fleeing, as happened last election. How well did the debates go? Everyone thinks English moderator Steve Paikin was the winner! The WEC control room waited for Paul Martin to set himself aloft or flail a limb off. Stephen Harper resembled the stereotypical used car salesman, with the smirk that wouldn't fade. Jack Layton looked older than we remembered (though still spritely compared to the rapidly-aging Martin), clearly outlining party platforms, though he occasionally veered off-topic to stay on message. Gilles Duceppe was, well, Gilles Duceppe....

Kick out the jams, brother and sister politicians! Holidays are over, let the mud fly! Watch the campaign kick into gear and the shit hit the fan. One wonders if Jean Chretien is smiling these days, given the even-growing number of snafus and pieces of dirty laundry emerging from the Liberal campaign. Beer and popcorn. Questions about the timing of income trust policy. A blog that compared Oliva Chow to a similarly-named dog. A Toronto MP who appears to be in financial thrall to the poobahs in the recording industry. A flat tire for the PM during a wagon ride in Regina. Standing in the opinion polls going down. Did the little guy from Shawinigan laid a hex on his ambitious successor? Are we seeing the Peter Principle play itself out? Did somebody hire some long unemployed staffers from Kim Campbell's '93 campaign? Or, after 12 years at the helm, is the natural governing party pooped out? What to watch: as Conservative numbers rise (as we are led to believe, but really, ...

Christmas, Christmas time is here, time for toys and time to jeer... But seriously, we've reached the holiday lull. Not much news, as everyone gears up for the January dash. Yer humble newsdesk editor admits to having barely touched a paper the past few days. Call this episode the equivalent of TV talking heads nattering about nothing. Humble readers can discuss the merits of whether Jack Layton will shave his 'stache for charity. Meanwhile, there are areas where parties are attempting to monopolize public corners with their signs. Case in point: drive into Guelph, Ontario along any of the main roads leading into the city and you will face an onslaught of Christian Heritage Party signs. The CHP had the only visible sign on the grounds of the University of Guelph, unless the NE corner of Stone and Gordon is considered city property. One imagines how well this will go down with students on campus (except maybe the Campus Crusade for Christ). Surfing The Seas of Small Pa...

Christmas shoppers scurry as the week-before-Christmas blitz begins. Ontario is digging itself out from a blizzard. Workers rush to finish projects before taking a rest for the holidays. Oh yeah, there's an election going on. Little evidence so far in the Warehouse's neighbourhood. Signs are few, flyers and candidate telemarketing fewer. The imcumbent is recycling signs from the last campaign. It's best if all parties make their gaffes now, while most of the country carries on with more pressing issues, like that Xbox 360 for Billy or how not to avoid playing the fool at the office party. Question: in light of Liberal communications director Scott Reid's loose lips earlier this week, how many viewers of tonight's debate will fortify themselves with beer and popcorn? While on the subject of beer and politics, check out Rick Mercer's petition . You may also want to throw back a shot of any spirit whenever Paul Martin says "let me be perfectly clea...

The Warehouse election desk is officially open. Over the next few weeks, our distinguished correspondents will provide their own spin on the current campaign. Local fights, historical perspectives, commentary, criticism and advice...we don't claim to be fair and balanced, we just claim. This week: lots of links and the start of our time-warped coverage. The four men who will fight with Angelina, J. Lo and Jennifer for space on the front of your morning read: Paul Martin (Liberal), Stephen Harper (Conservative), Jack Layton (NDP) and Gilles Duceppe (BQ). Get To Know Your Parties Elections Canada has links to the 12 registered parties for the January showdown...but we're going to save you a few clicks by providing them below. Bloc Quebecois Canadian Action Party Christian Heritage Party Communist Party Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party Libertarian Party Marijuana Party Marxist-Leninist Party New Democratic Party Progressive Canadian Party El...