The last time there was a federal election, last October, it was as a result of the spoiled brat, Stephen Harper's, calling it. This was in direct disobedience to his own law of imposing set dates for elections. He called the election because he wanted a majority government but it was a complete waste of $300 million because he was returned with a minority government that was not much better than before.

I worked in one of the polling stations last year: 13 hours and they don't even give you coffee — I was so angry with Mr. S. Harper — he wasted the country's money, soured the poor Canadian public so that no one wanted to bother voting and blew away a whole day of mine for nothing!

However, this time, in October if that is the date, we have to go to the polls and we have to mean it.

Imagine the way Canadians abroad have been treated — one held at bay and even put in prison in Kenya because her lips did not appear to match her passport picture; imagine the diminishment of our reputation abroad as the only western country that has not brought its one inmate of Guantanamo Bay home; just picture that Canadian officials have lied about and maligned our own citizens, who have been imprisoned and tortured in jails overseas.

Our environmental policies are in tatters; our foreign policies are increasingly a source of embarrassment; our Prime Minister is in the habit of sneaking unsavoury laws on the country and thunders abuse at the Senate when they object.

Through all this, the Liberals have tried to steer their own ship in stormy waters, agreeing impossibly to so many offenses, suffering the mockery of the Conservatives, while endeavouring not to send the country back to the polls even sooner than October.

Last year, there was a brave attempt at mutiny when the whole of Parliament banded together to form a coalition. Whether or not you agree that the coalition made sense, members of Parliament were right to call the Prime Minister to account for himself. Which he did not; once again he bullied — this time, the Governor General — and shut the country down.

In other words, no one that we voted for was permitted to work or attend Parliament or perform any of their duties as duly elected MPs during those months of prorogation.

Michael Ignatieff must be given his due. No doubt, he was sitting in his cushy job in the U.S., looking at matters in Canada. As they grew worse, he must have thought, "I ought to go home and see if I can help."

He came back to Canada, arrogantly, to be sure, to apply for the job of Prime Minister because the incompetence of those who are in the queue for the job worried him.

He has not exactly worked his way up through the ranks, but there is an element of urgency involved here. He did not have time to be engaged as a backbencher, edging his way forward. He needed to come forward as quickly as possible.

Mr. Ignatieff has struggled with the crisis that is the Harper government for the last year. Mr. Harper has dragged him and his party through the mud behind him. Mr. Ignatieff has endured months of embarrassment helping to pass motions he hated in order to avoid yet another election before he and the Liberals were ready to go to the people.

There was no point in forcing an election — which Mr. Harper would have been delighted to fight — when the Liberal party was in such a shambles. From all appearances, though, it seems that the Liberal party is finally getting itself in order, steady under a solid leadership.

Michael Ignatieff made a very good representation of that leadership in his own person and the reasons why the Canadian voter should place his faith in the Liberals at his recent press conference, when he stated his intention to no longer support the government.

So far, Stephen Harper clearly feels he has nothing to fear from the Liberals, for he is not doing deals with the NDP. Jack Layton whose NDP members are suddenly waffling about their image, even to discussions about changing the name of the party, claims that "we have heard this all before from the Liberals". He is right about that, of course, but there would be nothing left of the Liberal Party's credibility if they were to back down this time.

The NDP made inroads in the last election but it is unlikely they would so this time, which worries Mr. Layton. So, he is trying to convince Mr. Harper to deal with him, but, ever arrogant, the Prime Minister will not be making concessions at this point, leaving Mr. Layton with the decision of with whom to throw his lot when the crunch comes.

But there would be nothing left of the New Democratic Party's credibility if they were to back away from defeating the government this time.

Stephen Harper has been leading this country down the wrong tracks for the whole of his terms in office. But he has lied to us, gone behind our backs, and manipulated his opponents, and thus, has held tenuously on to power.

This country needs an election where the opposition to Stephen Harper is strong and clear. We need an election to oust him in favour of a leadership that will put Canada back on track as the caring, brave and exemplary country that it once was.

Michael Ignatieff has spent many years living outside of the country. He now admits he was misguided about the war launched by the USA on Iraq which he supported at the time.

He is the best leader that we have now and we should throw our collective weight behind him and the Liberals, when he finally calls Stephen Harper to account.