It was less than a year ago that the federal government changed the date set for the 2025 election, moving it forward an extra week. The reason given was that the extra week moved the election away from Diwali, a Hindu religious holiday.  

The government insisted that it had nothing to do with the fact that the extra week also meant an additional 80 MPs would be eligible for a pension they wouldn’t have qualified for if they weren’t re-elected on the original date. Notice they didn’t move it back a week.

I wrote about it in the Penn then, and maybe you are wondering why I’d bring that up again. 

If you’ve checked your calendar and done your math, you will discover that the advance poll for the upcoming election falls on Easter Weekend. There will be polls on Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.  And to be fair, that’s not the first time advance polls have fallen on an Easter Weekend. 

I guess, the religious holiday excuse is only valid when it serves the purpose of our politicians,

And to quote, Canadian Taxpayers Federation director Franco Terrazzano, “If politicians don’t want to look shady, then they should stop doing shady stuff like this.”

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.