Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley – from the old mother country.

GANATSEKWYAGON, ON. SEPTEMBER 10, 2014. There really are a lot of movie stars in Toronto for the International Film Festival these days. And other celebrities, especially from stateside. And they happily intervene in the local politics. (See, eg : “Jon Stewart pulling for Olivia Chow in mayor’s race” and “Mike Tyson endorses Toronto mayor Rob Ford.”)

Meanwhile, the deep-background political event is of course the Canadian federal election that will happen some time in 2015.

(To cite the current wisdom of Wikipedia on this matter : “The 42nd Canadian federal election is tentatively scheduled for October 19, 2015 in accordance with the Canada Elections Act which requires that a general election be held on the third Monday of October in the fourth calendar year following polling day for the last general election, to elect members to the House of Commons … This does not diminish the power of the Monarch, or her representative in Canada, the governor general, to call an election at any time. Calling an election early is conventionally done on the advice of the prime minister.” Mmmmm … )

Filmmaker Jon Stewart seen at the 'Rosewater' premiere at the Princess of Wales Theatre during the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, Sept. 8, 2014, in Toronto, Ontario. (Arthur Mola.)

For the latest explicit news on the 2015 federal election, see : “Conservatives continue to bite into Liberals’ lead …  A new Forum Research poll shows Justin Trudeau’s Liberals still leading, but continuing to lose ground to the Conservatives” ; and “Tom Mulcair to venture out of the House in a bid to raise profile …  NDP caucus meets in Edmonton this week to plan fall strategy – and steal attention from Trudeau.” So … can the Harper Conservatives win at least another minority government in 2015? (Or even another majority of seats in the Canadian House of Commons, with less than 40% of the popular vote?) And what will it mean if they do?

Meanwhile yet again, an even half dozen other items in the local/regional/national/international news have also been keeping us up at night (part of the time at least, but then we really do get tired) :

(1) Fate of the monarchy unclear in an independent Scotland … yes, the monarchy would operate as it does now in Canada or Australia. The queen would be the Queen of Scots and the head of state … But would Prince Charles (the Prince of Wales) be the next king as Charles III? Maybe not … [Some experts say that] Scots will vote at some later date on whether to keep the monarchy but only after Queen Elizabeth II has died.

Actors Ger Duany (left) and Kuoth Wiel at a press conference for "The Good Lie," Toronto on Monday, Sept. 8, 2014. (Hannah Yoon.)

(2)  Harper’s excitement, focus on Franklin Expedition hint at larger Tory plan …  the government is trying to “emphasize…Canada’s British history.”

(3) Expect Jim Prentice to play role in national scene: Hébert …  As Alberta premier, Jim Prentice will need to stay on Stephen Harper’s good side. But the reverse is also true.

(4) Land deal with Ontario’s Ojibway still in contention after 164 years … Robinson Huron Treaty was signed in 1850, covering land from Parry Sound to Sault Ste. Marie and north to Lake Superior … First Nations signatories of one of Canada’s founding treaties are set to start a landmark court action Tuesday against the federal and provincial governments on what they say is a failure to live up to terms of a deal made more than 150 years ago.

Director David Cronenberg, left (a graduate of North Toronto Collegiate Institute), and Julianne Moore attend the press conference for "Maps to the Stars." Sept. 9, 2014, in Toronto. (AP / Chris Pizzello).

(5) Trailer Park Boys fans celebrate 8th season’s launch with cheeseburgers, jalapeno chips … by the lovely Lauren O’Neil : “When Netflix announced that it had picked up the show for an eighth (and subsequently ninth) season, fans of the cult mockumentary were understandably ecstatic.”

(6) Toronto’s West Queen West rated No. 2 on Vogue list of hip districts.

But even after you’ve gone through all this, you are still left wondering : Can the Harper Conservatives actually win again in 2015 .. and what will it mean if they do? (Housing will suddenly get a lot cheaper in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto?  Well, no …probably not! Just the opposite, in fact, but … ????.)