Nov 3, 2000
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THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA Nov 3, 2000 |
| Dr. Norman Ruff (political science) has been quoted in almost every local publication in the early weeks of the current federal election campaign. It will be a brash battle that will yield few surprises, predicts Ruff. “In B.C. it’s going to be straight, classic polarization driven by negativism,” he says. “You’re either anti-Liberal or you’re anti-Alliance with the NDP ground down still further in the middle with what’s left of the Tories.” In the Victoria News, Dr. Michael Prince (human & social development) drew attention to the Canadian Alliance’s philosophy on decentralization, specifically health care, by pointing out that Stockwell Day supports dropping financial penalties for provinces that don’t abide by the Canada Health Act. “I think a lot of Canadians don’t relish the idea of Ottawa having a smaller role in social policy,” says Prince. In a Times-Colonist article, Dr. Ron Mitchell (business) commented on the Toronto Stock Exchange’s recent record drop. Mitchell says that the mass sell-off probably occurred as a result of less-than-expected profits announced by Nortel. “Somebody who thought that it was going to be a fast buck realized that it’s going to be a slow buck,” he says. |