Everywhere I have travelled this summer I have been asked the question, “will there be an election this fall"? From one end of the riding to the other, this has been a pre-occupation of many constituents in Stormont- Dundas - South Glengarry. As a matter of fact, it is the question I am most often asked where ever I go.
 
The Liberal party held their summer caucus retreat in Nova Scotia from August 30 to September 1. During these meetings Michael Ignatieff and all Liberal MPs will be deciding if they should bring down our Conservative government in the fall. I do not think this decision will be taken lightly. You will recall this time last year Mr. Ignatieff came out of their meeting and uttered the now infamous phrase, "Mr. Harper your time is up!" And as we now know, since then, he spent the past twelve months avoiding anything to do with an election. Many Liberal MPs where not very happy with their leader over that incident. I believe the decision will be taken much more seriously this time and I certainly hope they do not decide to force an election this fall.
 
Canadians do not want an election. You, the constituents of SD&SG do not want an election. You have made that abundantly clear through your correspondence and countless face to face discussions we have had. For what it is worth, we the Conservative Government do not want an election at this time either. The economic recovery is fragile, our stimulus programs are not fully completed and quite frankly, there is no pressing issue in the country that is worth spending $300 million on an election.
 
I believe we have to stay on course. Our economy is recovering, jobs are being created, our deficit is being decreased quicker than expected, and Canadians are once again becoming optimistic about our future. Although the decision to provoke an election rests in Mr. Ignatieff's hands, I am hoping that cooler heads have prevailed in Nova Scotia and a responsible decision is taken by the Liberals.
 
I know from experience that caucus discussions can become very heated.  I am sure there is division in the Liberal caucus. Some members will want an immediate election while others will want to wait. A guiding principle our Conservative Caucus follows when making decisions where there are differences of opinion amongst members is, "never mind who is right or wrong, what is the right decision for our country"? If the Liberals decide on that basis, I am sure we will not have a fall election.
 
Guy Lauzon, MP
Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry