As prosperity sets in with the good Canadian economy and the high oil prices, it appears many Canadians are turning to right wing politicians in-order to lower taxes and reduce the size of your Government.  Likely they wanted to form this Government and have an election before Obama becomes the U.S. President and starts making leftest influences on Canada.  Not to say Canada makes these decisions based on what happens in the United States, but I doubt the Rights wanted to delay it longer than need be.

While it is true that Canada supplies most of our oil.  It's not Light Sweet Crude.  LSC is the stuff that you basically pour in your car.  And most of that does come from the gulf.   Canada's oil goes to every other thing we use oil for.  But when it comes to cars, that "generally" comes from Saudi Arabia. 

  The problem though, is that we need a lot of energy, and the prices are too volatile and easily manipulated by National Governments that control their oil.  The problems with Russia and Venezuala are partially due to the fact that the high price of oil has given them a lot of money to spend on bothing us.  And our economy is at the mercy of their Government's desire to switch off the pump.   Sure, we could still get oil from Canada and Mexico, but oil is traded on the world market and any cut in supply costs us major dollars.

  We need energy independence.  Not so much so we can say, "We don't want your oil."  Because we'll never have a battery operated jet.  But rather, so we can have an alternative energy source if oil becomes too expensive. 

  I don't think people in the United States understand the American political system.  Let alone Canada's.  People really think the President has power over domestic policy.  They don't understand congress at all.  I mean, look at the bailout thing going on.  They are working on it in Congress.  The President can't do shit to fix it.  The Democrats blame Bush for doing nothing and creating the problem.  But everyone can see right now, with their own eyes, that the Democrats are the ones being tasked to fix it in congress.  Congress makes the laws and handles domestic policy.  But most people think the President is king.  You elect Obama or McCain and they can do whatever they want.  There is no understanding that this isn't how it works here.

  If you asked people on the street who Nancy Pelosi was.  They would maybe know.  And then if you asked what her title was. Maybe 1 out of 10 people would know it's Speaker of the House.   Then ask that person, "Is she a Senator?"  And I bet they'd say "Yes."  Because people are dumb-asses in this country.

  Be happy your Canadian system is so complicated.  It shows your people care about how it works.  And stop voting for the Green party.  I saw them on TV when I was in Canada, and they look like a bunch of asshats.

K