On Minority Government

As someone who has always been a bit of a regionalist, this election was long in the waiting. I grew up rooting for Reform, or at least I got hooked on the idea of Senate Reform and free votes and the whole notion of a Western party in my teens. I never joined them, but I supported them, especially as they were an underdog. I've since given up on them due to the rise of social conservatism in their platform, and have taken to supporting the Green Party as I think they have the best vision for Canada, or at least the only party thinking 20 years rather than 20 months down the road. I still am hopeful about the possibilities of this minority government, even if I think the next election could really be the most crucial one as it will really be about the vision of Canada.

I personally don't know what the next two or three years will hold, but I am optimistic that the only things radical that can occur are governmental reforms, and many I think are long overdue. Accountability, perhaps a look at electoral fairness, hopefully a revised senate which actually functions as a legitimate check on the powers of the PMO, and a new move toward looking at federalism in Canada.

I don't know if they will do anything really innovative, and even if they make a few steps it will likely be better than none. At least they will start the dialogue moving. Now, I'm not sure if I really support a true confederation, as I don't really care for provincial governments any more than I do for federal ones. I think the true fiscal imbalance is with the cities and communities who need more funding to deliver community services, and I'm not sure their voices will be loud enough in this legislature. But who knows?

The only thing I'm confident is this government will be constrained with small steps, rather than having the luxury of rolling our large grandiose plans. I like having bills and legislation discussed and not being able to be crammed through.

I think outside of the administrative changes, the rest is up in the air. We need to have a national debate on our values and are future, and in a minority government, this will happen. Especially in a weak one, with a party that hasn't got accustomed to having its will be done.

I think the progressive forces will win, but I think there is also a lot of opportunities now for something we haven't seen in years. I think the next election people won't vote out of fear, which may open some space up for smaller parties such as the Green to do better. I also believe that the next Liberal Leadership race will probably set the standard for the political center, and that will be a defining moment as they seem to be likely to govern again in the next 5 years. (Oh, it will be a whole different ball game then!)

Now my only hope is that this current minority government functions, as my dream would never to see another majority government!