So, here we are. We have elected a Conservative majority. Despite the fact that Mr. Harper has shown dictatorial tendencies even in the minority governments he's lead (abusing the prorogation powers in order to shut down debate in Parliament and to avoid being defeated by a non-confidence motion; firing independent watchdogs for doing their job; attempting to muzzle people like Richard Colvin...and the list goes on), Mr. Harper somehow gets to lead Canada for at least 4 more years. This time, we do not have the luxury of an opposition that holds more seats than the government, meaning that, in effect, the government can rule unrestrained. In the case of Mr. Harper, a man who does not believe in our public healthcare system, or a woman's right to choose, or indeed in a free press, this is a very scary prospect indeed (errr...make that reality, now).
So how did we end up here? The most obvious answer is the FPTP electoral system which, unless one is in a two-party state, is fundamentally anti-democratic. I have talked about that before, so I won't waste time/space repeating all that. Another reason, and this perhaps should've been mentioned first, is the lack of political education of the average Canadian. Indeed, even with the current system, a politically educated/mature electorate which truly wanted to get rid of Harper and his hardliners, would have found a way to do so. They would not have bought Harper's character assassination ads or Layton's cheap one-liners and would've seen that, under the current system, voting for the NDP ultimately meant voting for Harper. Having said all that, the Liberals are by no means blameless in all this. They could've done a better job of defending their leader and platform against the attacks and indeed of attacking Harper on the economy, which despite Harper's claims, is not his strong point.
One of the more disappointing things in all this is the NDP's failure to recognize that a Harper majority, in any incarnation, is still a lot worse for Canada and the values the NDP supposedly stands for than a Liberal minority, even though in this case, it could have been and NDP minority, had Mr. Layton not wanted a Harper majority. He may have talked the talk, but Layton certainly did not walk the walk. In fact, ever since 2004, the NDP's actions have been of a lot more help to Mr. Harper, than to the opposition. Even in this campaign, the NDP spent a lot more time and resources, especially after the English language debate, going after the Liberals than going after Harper and his record of corruption and mismanagement. Seeing all this in the context of who got what in this election, one begins to wonder if there wasn't a resurrection of the 2004 Con/NDP/Bloc coalition...
I maintain that Mr. Harper, Mr. Layton and M. Duceppe all got what they wanted this election. The first got his long desired majoity government; the second got his long-coveted promotion to leader of the opposition; the third, though he lost a lot of seats, will likely get his wish of an independent Quebec, even if it takes a couple of years.
Mr. Layton is banking on the fact that a Harper majority will mess up so badly, that Canadians will run to the NDP and give them a majority after Harper's done gutting the country. Mr. Duceppe is banking on the fact that Harper's inevitable excesses will make it a lot easier for the people of Quebec to vote "yes" in the sovereignty referendum which will be held sooner rather than later given the likelyhood of the PQ taking over provincially...And there I was, naively thinking, albeit for a second, that M. Duceppe sacrificed his career because he knew what a Harper majority means and didn't wish that on the rest of Canada, whatever his feelings towards the country (not that he's not aware, and I have no doubt he'd oppose it if it didn't mean likely separation of Quebec). Let's face it, Duceppe didn't campaign nearly as hard as he had in previous years, and, reading between the lines, he as good as encouraged people to vote for the NDP.
As for Harper, he is the biggest winner here. In one fell swoop he gets to destroy the Liberals (though I suspect they'll be back), get rid of Quebec (he never really does well there and when it's gone, it won't cost him a majority ever again and besides, he's not crazy about bilingualism anyway). Perhaps this is why he spent a lot more time and effort campaigning in seat-rich Ontario. Now, Harper gets to do what he always wanted: to dismantle the Canada we know and love and turn it into an unrecognizable mess and, quite possibly, into a fascist-style dictatorship. I also suspect that the NDP will not have nearly as good a showing in the next election as they did in this one; after all, all those Quebec seats will no longer be there.
Another issue that is quite worrisome is that this has by far been the dirtiest election in Canadian history. From the attempted theft of a ballot box at the University of Guelph, to the vandalism of political signs (strangely, most of them not against those of Conservative candidates), to the blatant disrespect of the electorate by canidates (again, mostly Conservative) in not showing up for all-candidates debates, to possibly breaking the electoral laws of this country (Harper campaigning on the radio on the day of the election) etc. And I have not even mentioned the automated phone calls telling voters (mainly Liberal supporters, it seems) that the locations of their polling stations had been changed, when that was not the case. Finally, in one riding, it appears that a Conservative candidate accepted an edorsement and donation from a man who supports terrorism...
So...and NDP/Con/Bloc deal? It might just be the case. Usually when three parties get exactly what they wanted, even if it is not immediately apparent that that is the case, it is not a result of mere coincidence. For example, the NDP ran very strong candidates in ridings where they could only be third. This was, of course, to split the vote and help out the Conservatives; the Conservatives didn't campaign hard in Quebec and the Bloc, too, allowed the NDP to pick up seats, keeping their eyes on the ultimate prize. The common goal was the destruction of the Liberal party. In Harper's case, because of some personal vendetta; in the case of the NDP, in order to take their place as the alternative to the Conservatives; in the case of the Bloc, to take away the strongest federalist option. Again, having said that, the Liberals are not blameless in all this. Still, it is a lot more difficult when the other 3 are all working together agaisnt you.
I sure hope all the regressive things Harper will do will be worth it, Mr. Layton. To some of us though, it appears to be too high a price to pay for your own promotion, especially since you now have less power than you did in the minority situation.
The one bright spot in all this is the election of Elizabeth May, the first ever Green MP. Granted, this may have the effect of splitting the progressive vote even further. Hmmm...perhaps it's time to consider a Canadian version of the Red-Green coalition...
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