Thirty Day election cycle in Canada?

I see Canada is going to announce this week that they will have a national election on October 14th! That is just five weeks away! Imagine living in a country where the federal election cycle is only 5 weeks long -- as opposed to our TWO LONG YEARS!

But just about the time that I was going to rail euphorically about such a plan.... I read the fine print - this will be their third election in just four years..

No thanks.......

Canada set for October 14 election: report
Mon Sep 1, 2008 10:07pm EDT
By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will as expected this week ask for a dissolution of Parliament and call an election for October 14, the Canadian Press quoted senior government sources as saying late on Monday.

Hours earlier, Harper failed to persuade the country's main opposition leader to keep his minority Conservative government alive.

Harper aides have already pointed to October 14 as a likely date for what would be Canada's third election in four years.

A spokeswoman for Harper declined to comment on the Canadian Press report, while the prime minister's chief spokesman did not respond to phone and e-mail questions.

The breakdown of the talks between Harper and Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion was not a surprise.

Harper, who won power in January 2006, has made it clear over the past few weeks he thinks an election is the only way to fix what he sees as a dysfunctional Parliament.

Before an election can be called, Governor General Michaelle Jean, who represents Canada's head of state, Britain's Queen Elizabeth, must agree to a formal request from Harper to dissolve Parliament. Her approval is considered a formality.

So which is a better system -- one eternally long elccton process every four years or one short snappy cycle every year or so? Seems to me that the latter would provide a very uncertain environment for business and the economy!