That is a great question and I really have to wonder if Harper is listening to the conversations happening online? It would seem that he is ignoring or discounting the online conversation and pushing forward with his own agenda ignoring not only those who elected him but those who are fed up with his inability to lead.
At first count we are seeing more than 10,000 people calling for Harpers resignation, with even so called faithful conservatives calling for a change in leadership.
The social web, social media and the internet as a whole is an important channel for expressing ones opinions, feelings and in cases is more popular than other traditional mediums. The story is always followed, constantly updated and traditional mediums can’t keep up. The conversation is growing and will continue to change as the events unfold.
Curious? Check out some of the conversations at www.beaverfight.ca. This is an almost real time feed of the political discussion on the popular service Twitter.
If I had to make a guess I would say millions of people are following the current political issues in Canada online, whether they are expats living abroad or a farmer in rural Ontario I would say more people are following and participating online than will watch him address the nation this evening.
This post is a work in progress and will grow as we continue to track with our monitoring solution.
I would say this is all a tempest in a teapot. The Canadian and US economies are quite integrated especially since NAFTA’s approval. Considering that the economic stimulus measures in the US such as giving people USD$300-600 checks and the recent bailout have had minimal effect on the common man, why such a clamor in Canada to try for such?
Nothing is going to cause Mr. Obama to be president any sooner than noon on 20 January 2009 regardless of the strange notions of staged resignations that one New York Times columnist wrote about a couple weeks ago. Until then, the prudent thing is to wait and see rather than proceed as the Leader of Opposition suggests to copy US initiatives that did not really deliver. There is too much to lose if cross-border trade is impacted due to the change in administrations if the Government of Canada made a sudden economic change now.
Of all the characteristics that have defined Mr. Harper’s premiership, listening is not one.