Editorial

A cautious endorsement

What should we make of the recent federal election? It was hardly the revolution that many westerners were hoping for.
The election did amount to a repudiation of the governing Liberals, but not a resounding one. As an endorsement of Stephen Harper’s Conservative agenda, it was quite modest as well.
The Tory triumph bears little resemblance to the 1984 victory of the Brian Mulroney Conservatives, whose landslide reduced the high and mighty Liberals to a very small number of seats. Mind you, the Bloc Quebecois didn’t exist then, so a rejection of the Liberals in Quebec translated into big-time seat gains for the Tories. In 2006 Conservative gains in Quebec were significant, but the Bloc still won the majority there and the Liberals still ended up with three more seats than the Conservatives.
The story was similar in Atlantic Canada: Tory gains but an overall Liberal advantage.
Caution was the word in Ontario too. Voters there sent 40 Tories to Ottawa – up from 24, but still 14 shy of the Liberal seat tally.
Locally, the Conservative vote was anything but cautious. Brian Jean returns to Ottawa with an even stronger mandate, having won something like 64 per cent of the popular vote in Ft. McMurray-Athabasca. He didn’t spend a lot of time campaigning in Slave Lake, and he didn’t have to.
Roland Lefort of the New Democrats – although finishing slightly trailing the Liberal candidate – made a decent showing in his first campaign. He vows to be back next time to build on the foundation he created in the past few weeks. Ian Hopfe of the Green Party says he’ll be back next time too, putting the environment-first perspective out there for public consideration.
John Malcolm of the First People’s National Party made a pretty good personal impression at the candidates’ forum. His idea of impact benefits for all residents of the riding is bound to continue to earn him attention. He also plans to be back.
That leaves the Liberals, whose parachute candidate Mel Buffalo was not the answer voters were looking for.
Despite the clean Alberta sweep, the Conservatives end up with a minority government, dependent upon the good will of one or another of three parties to carry their policies through parliament.
Compromise is the order of the day in a minority situation. Refusal to bend by the party in power could force another early election, which the Conservatives certainly don’t want.
Compromise from the opposition parties will also be the order of the day as long as they feel another election would not serve their interests. Whenever that changes, one or another of the parties will force an election, regardless of the merits of the particular issue upon which they decide to make a stand. That’s the way the game works.
So what of the Conservative platform?
Reform the senate? It won’t happen unless the Liberals, Bloc Quebecois or NDP join up. Unlikely, we think.
Cut the goods and services tax? Same thing, although this one seems to have a chance.
Get tough on crime? A complicated business. Look for a watered-down version of the Tory crime policy to make it into law.
Boosting the military? Harper has a decent chance here of cross-party support.
But only if the other parties are of a mind to cooperate. If they want to obstruct the Conservatives, they can do it on every point at every turn.
But not for a while, we hope.