Over the weekend I heard two interesting rumours.
The first, which I have now heard from two sources, is that Irwin Cotler will not be running again in Mount Royal. According to the weekend source, Cotler is actively seeking alternative employment, possibly in Israel. This would open up the seat for guess who? Justin Trudeau. It has been widely rumoured that Trudeau is looking at Outremont given Jean Lapierre's imminent departure, but Mount Royal is a more likely choice if it's available. It was his father's riding and it's a safer seat than Outremont.
The second, which I find more concerning, is that there is apparently talk in Parti Québécois circles that if they win they next provincial election, they will quickly pass a law lowering the voting age to 16 and hold a referendum shortly thereafter. The thinking here is obvious: getting more young people to vote would put the YES side over the top. The source and I discussed whether this would be legal but we both couldn't see why not. If true, this is very dangerous.
This fall has been one of the most interesting periods in Canadian politics in a long time, and looks like what lays ahead will be just as exciting.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:28 AM
