There have already been many scandals, touching every major party. No party can be thus too sanctimonious. Now the politicians have to concentrate on the issues as they enter the final weeks of campaigning.

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion's "Green Shift" has taken a nosedive and has been relegated from being the main issue of the campaign to one of several "main issues". The other main Liberal issues were thrown together so fast that they weren't costed out. Thus the other parties are having great fun with it.

Conservatives have introduced two main issues, getting tough on crime, especially on youth crime and easing up on arts funding. This has brought much yelling from both the Liberals and the NDP.

The pollsters see all three parties the same way, with no major differences of rate of percentage of voter support. The Decima/CBC poll has the Conservatives in a sizeable lead with Nanos showing the New Democratic Party gaining on the Liberals with Liberals losing position.

NDP leader Jack Layton has proposed a merger with the Liberals to gang up and thus beat the Conservatives. Dion rejected the thought off-hand. However, I wonder what they would have called it. The "Left Shift?"

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