Relaxing in Muskoka, where Canadian federal politics seem mercifully far away

[UPDATED AUGUST 14]. As you nurse your gin and tonic on the dock, you may be getting inebriated enough to wonder about Canadian federal politics.

Another “nationwide survey conducted by the Strategic Counsel for the Globe and Mail and CTV News [taken between July 29 and August 3, but released on August 11] found 34 per cent would support the Conservatives and 32 per cent would vote for Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals. The NDP was the choice of 15 per cent, and the Green Party, 8 per cent.”

The Globe and Mail has also published an August 13 editorial, urging “Not the right fall for an election.”Â  (The “overblown dispute about the relatively marginal issue of employment insurance reform” is not serious enough for most voters.)

Meanwhile, in an “EKOS poll, commissioned by the CBC [taken between August  5—11] and released Thursday [August 13] … Harper received a 36 per cent approval rating, followed by Layton (34 per cent) and Ignatieff (29 per cent). Conversely, 47 per cent said they disapprove of Harper’s job performance, with Ignatieff getting a 38 per cent disapproval rating and Layton 33 per cent.”

At the same time: “One political leader … soars above all the rest in the opinion of Canadian poll respondents: US President Barack Obama … The poll found that the president got a 73 per cent job approval rating from Canadians, with only 11 per cent disapproving of his performance.”

Cottage dock party in Canadian wilderness

The EKOS survey for the CBC also “put the Conservatives at 32.7 percent support, down from 34.9 percent last week. The Liberals were at 31.0 percent, down from 31.9 percent … The poll indicates the result of an election held now would be a deadlock.”

Finally Jane Taber reported in yesterday’s Globe and Mail: “The battle over reforming employment insurance resumes Thursday [August 13] with the third meeting of the special bipartisan group of Tories and Liberals formed to study the issue. A failure to reach an agreement before the fall could result in a general election, possibly in late September.” [UPDATE AUGUST 14: Today Ms. Taber reports: “The Ignatieff Liberals say they are making no headway with the Harper Conservatives in making changes to employment insurance after they met on the issue for nearly four hours yesterday.”]

One thing is absolutely clear. Even if there is a Canadian federal election this fall, Barack Obama will be too busy to run in it (even if the NDP does change its name to just the Democratic Party of Canada this coming weekend)!