Editorial Free trade just one issue

Polls, as former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker once remarked, are for dogs. Nevertheless, politicians seem to follow them like sheep.

The latest example in the federal arena is a neat twist on the usual government bashing that passes for “debate” in our illustrious House of Commons. The Toronto Globe and Mail recently published a Globe-Environics poll that showed the Mulroney government gaining a significant eight per cent of decided voters’ support. That brought support for the government up to 32% among decided voters, ranking it in second place, ahead of the New Democratic Party but still behind the Liberals.

Credit for the improved showing of the Conservatives goes to the government’s strong, unwavering support for the free trade agreement.

The two opposition parties, which a month ago were demanding the Prime Minister call an election on the free trade issue alone, have toned down that bit of rhetoric. Now they say the next election campaign should be based on a wider variety of issues.

That seems reasonable. Free trade is an important issue that should be debated during a general election, but voters should also consider the past three years of increasing prosperity, declining unemployment and improving fiscal responsibility under the Mulroney government.

We wouldn’t want a one-issue election.