Canada’s New/Old Prime Minister Stephen Harper (from the www.globeandmail.com)
Stephen Harper won a majority government in Canada today. I am thrilled for my friends who worked so hard on individual campaigns. I am thrilled for some friends who have been elected as Members of Parliament (MP). I am happy for one of my close friends, whose husband played a key role in the election.
I am happy for the country as well because we have finally ended this vicious cycle of election after election after election. The country cannot be governed this way because the government is worried about what to do. The opposition parties are always looking for the best way for them to win so they threaten and allow nothing to get done in government. With a majority it means there will be no threats or media speculation of when the next election will be. The government is free to put forward with its agenda and after four years the people can decide whether it is a good one or not.
I am happy because the party dedicated to breaking up the country, the Bloc Québécois, was reduced to 3 seats. These losses include the loss for the leader who represented the party and is best described as Gilles Ducepppe and a bunch of no names. They were the main stumbling block for getting a majority victory for any NATIONAL political party. They no longer demand political bribes for their support.
I am surprised at the collapse of the Liberals. They went from “Canada’s natural governing party” to third party status. They are now more irrelevant now than ever before. However they will be back. That is the thing in politics, once you are out you can always come back. It just takes time and smart organization. I will not be surprised if Justin Trudeau, son of the most popular Prime Minister in Canadian history, runs and wins the leadership because of who he is rather than what he has done. The Liberals need a leadership convention not a coronation to choose their next leader.
Finally there is the NDP as the opposition. They too have a lot to learn. They have a lot to learn from the conservatives more than anyone. They have to learn they must become more of a centre left party rather than a fringe left socialist party. They will need to raise the profile of other members because I am not sure their leader, Jack Layton, will be around long due to health more than anything else.
Thus, I am happy with the results and I am looking forward to the next 4 years. There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed and I am sure the new majority government will do its part.