Photo: AFP
I suppose some readers might be here to gloat about the Conservative majority and see if I’m lamenting the fact Canadians finally gave them the complete trust to lead the nation as they see fit. If so, they may be disappointed.
Although I don’t believe the party deserved this majority, it is gladly received for it will put to the test the question of how conservative this Conservative party really is.
There are many reasons to celebrate a Conservative majority. For the first time in five years the party won’t be able to make excuses and justifications for choosing expedience over principle. They have the political capital to make real priorities and the power to put their proclaimed visions for Canada into action.
With that power comes responsibility. Although I don’t expect radical changes — indeed, I suspect this will put paid to the myth of the hidden agenda once and for all — I do expect a greater amount of fiscal prudence and restraint.
This is a government who chose to inject billions of dollars into the economy during the recession in the belief it would stimulate the country back to prosperity. The jury is out on whether that worked, but the fact is that the government would have gone deeply into deficit with or without the stimulus spending.
We are now almost $100-billion above the spending budget of the 2005 Paul Martin government, and even if you take all of the military spending increases into account, there’s absolutely no reason we should increase the country’s budget by 33 per cent over six years.
Indeed, Maxime Bernier said just last July that the government should aim for a $250-billion ceiling with zero growth (and that’s zero growth without adjustments for inflation, population and GDP increase). The 2011 budget was nearly $50-billion larger than that.
So there’s finally hope for fiscal conservatives in a political party that has made every possible excuse to explain why it has had to outspend all previous governments in the history of the nation both as a percent increase and as a sum total.
It would also be a good time to start cutting government largesse, trimming programs and finding efficiency where there is undeniable fat. Fat that was put into place by this government.
Now the true test begins for the Conservatives. Can they finally implement policies that are true to the principles of the patient and faithful base who have endured the incremental shift to the centre to usurp the Liberals?
The strategy, it should be noted, has been a resounding success. The move to the centre pushed the Liberals to the left where they clashed with the NDP, ultimately leading to an exodus of soft support for the Liberals on both the right and the left.
The rise of the NDP can be attributed to the Conservative strategy to become the Natural Governing Party in the centre, leaving the Liberals with nowhere to go but implode.
In its place is a strong but ultimately impotent NDP, who will now symbolically represent the opposition in a House of Commons where it can defeat no votes. Still, they have to be pretty pleased with themselves.
A fortuitous coalescence of a weakening Liberal Party and a weak Liberal leader resulted in the near devastation of that party tonight. As if it were not embarrassing enough that Michael Ignatieff’s failure exceeded his predecessor Stephane Dion, at least the former leader won his seat tonight. The future for the former Harvard professor looks grim.
But it wasn’t just the collapse of the Liberals that was satisfying. The separatist party who formed the most unpleasant ally in the axis of “socialists and losers” also saw the death of sovereignty in Quebec tonight.
Gilles Duceppe accepted responsibility and defeat more humbly than his Liberal counterpart, stepping down. (Updated: Ignatieff resigned Tuesday). The Liberals and Bloc Quebecois now present a mere 37-seat coalition.
Last, and perhaps least, in the election “nobody wanted”, Elizabeth May secured the first seat for the Green Party in British Columbia. Proving what, I don’t know. Perhaps it was sympathy for having excluded her from the televised debates for yet another year. Voters are nothing if not vindictive and unpredictable in their predilections.
A Conservative majority now offers a hope for Canadians that hasn’t been available for decades. After years of reckless spending, government largesse, bloated programs, increased bureaucracy and hazardous government intervention, the Conservatives have a chance to scale back the obscene dependence Canadians have on the state.
Though I don’t expect miracles, I demand some inkling that their protestations of being hampered by the opposition were true. We can begin that good faith by eliminating the vote subsidies, which precipitated the massive about-face of the Conservatives in 2008.
It should be an interesting next four years.
Losing vote subsidies would hurt the Bloc and Liberals most, that is, help the NDP most. It might even be construed as anti-Quebec in a run-up to the next referendum. Better to slow the withdrawal of subsidies until Layton starts to beg.
The Conservatives should never have promised loans to Newfoundland for the multi-billion project of building underwater transmission lines for electricity. Not only was Newfoundland not grateful, but this stand hurt the Conservatives in Quebec.
Here in Pierrefonds-Dollard in Montreal we worked so hard but were defeated by the anybody but Harper West Islanders who went for a young NDPer who lives in Trois Rivieres. I hope Montreal and Newfoundland will be happy having no representation in Ottawa.
Thanks to Ontario for once for having some sense. Please get rid of McGuinty next.
That will be delicious seeing those subsidies disappear.And Quebec,what in hell were you thinking.The NDP has less power now than when they were just against a minority Government.They really have no power against a majority.Way to go Quebec,you screwed yourself again.
Although I don’t believe the party deserved this majority, it is gladly received for it will put to the test the question of how conservative this Conservative party really is.
It will put to the test the question of how conservative most conservatives really are. One of the first tweets I saw after the majority was called crowed that now all those extra seats in Parliament in BC, Alberta and Ontario could be added. If this attitude is widespread amongst conservatives it looks like they’re already beginning to abandon their hatred of bigger government. After all, if conservatives truly believed in smaller government wouldn’t they be proposing a cap on the number of seats and redistribution?
I just shake my head at Newfoundland! They are a have province with a booming oil industry. Then they vote as a have not province. Really makes you wonder about Newfoundland.
Is that the best you can come up with? Why don’t you start whining about breaking the fixed election date law?
It is virtually impossible to reduce the number of seats – a little thing called the Constitution that all but locks in the existing levels for the original four.
I would prefer that the number of seat be cut as well, but that is not going to happen because fo the amending formula thrust upon by PET (but that is another rant). The only practical way to ensure that all voters are treated more or less equally is to create more seats.
And it doesn’t matter in the big scheme that there are a few more MPs, but rather, it’s what they do once they are in Parliament that counts.
Pull your head out of your ass and reinsert thumb, because you have four plus years to wait until you and your fellow travellers get another shot at the show.
And what does the number of MP’s have to do with the size of government?
Robert? Just because they’re adding seats – so that rep by pop can be adjusted – doesn’t mean they’re keying into “big government”. They could have 435 seats and less government.
There are so many projects that Mr. Harper needs to embark upon, I just hope that he picks the most politically unpalatable ones first so that they have time to be forgotten by the electorate before Oct 2015.
What I do know is that the Conservatives will have 5 budgets to prove to the country that conservatism can be as compassionate as socialism.
Interesting article,
Quote
“It would also be a good time to start cutting government largesse, trimming programs and finding efficiency where there is undeniable fat. Fat that was put into place by this government.
There was a lot of fat there before this Government took over. I do agree with you though, the government should go on a diet.
Mr Layton and his caucus are about to come under a lot of scrutiny I would think. His success to this degree was totally unexpected. The issue of National Unity is back. Mr. Layton has a tough job ahead of him balancing the needs of Quebec with the ROC.
There has been a lot of critism over the bias of the MSM. I don’t have a problem with say the Toronto Star or CTV for example. We live in a free country and they can say what they want. My problem is the bias shown by the CBC. This is a tax payer funded organization, not a propaganda machine for any particular party. As much as the Liberals need to reinvent themselves, The CBC does also. Balance is a keyword in order for the CBC to reinvent itself.
I think it is rude to ridicule Mr. Ignatieff. I truly believe he did the best he could. I don’t know him obviously but plopping a person with no frontline experience to speak of into the hardball world of politics is unfair to anyone. Blame and ridicule the people behind the scenes that put him there.
He could have just said “No”.
I heartily agree. Start with the subsidies to political parties (an easy one) and the most onerous aspects of the firearms regulations. (Not just the long gun registry.) The latter will stir emotions but would be all but forgotten four years from now. Write – don’t e-mail – your CPC MP quickly, while everyone is still exhuberant.
Like your analysis. I am in the Green riding, and found myself pushed in a corner with my vote. Not interested in voting Green just to get them in. Not a good enough reason. Now, what do we have to look forward to? Will wait and see.
The rest of it was like shaking the dice. Did we win?
[...] don’t believe me, take a look at what Blogging Tory Adrian MacNair has to say about it — here. Harper and his crew are probably further left politically than “progressive” poster child, [...]