Ignatieff wise in putting off election call

At the point of writing this column, it appears Canadians are going to be spared something we want even less than a summer cold - a summer election.
As of last reports, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and Prime Minister Stephen Harper were playing nice and willing to work together on some issues of concern, instead of forcing another election.
This is the right move in terms of showing respect to Canadians.
While I love a good election, even I think it's excessive to be going to the polls every eight months, especially in the dead of summer.
As each election goes by, voter turnout becomes more of a problem. Holding elections after a short time period because everybody can't get along is just going to contribute to that decreased turnout.
And, ultimately, the various parties, especially the two with the most seats, are obligated to get along by the Canadian voters.
When Canadian voters sent back another minority government, the collective message wasn't: "Come back and try again to get a majority." The message was: "Here's what you have to work with, now work with it."
The fact that Ignatieff was toying with toppling the government is disrespectful of that message. Sure, he thinks now is the time to strike since he's up in the polls, but it smacks of political opportunism, not about putting what Canadians want first.
The same goes for Harper.
He has periodically tried to force the opposition into defeating his government by making certain legislation confidence bills, just so he can make another bid for a majority government. But if a majority government is not the wish of the voters, then he needs to respect that.
So, it's good to see he and Ignatieff actually sit down and listen to each other. There has already been some give and take between the two leaders over the past few months and they both must realize that for the people of Canada and their wishes, the two are going to have to continue working together well into the future.

Jason Small can be reached at 691-1255.