Canada is about to change...an opinion

If you are like most Canadian Tim Horton conversationalists, the latest domestic news is disheartening and probably even discouraging. Canada recently became a country ruled (not governed by one party). Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, New Cons, or Reform Party based Conservative alliance depending on an individual’s point of view is ruling with less than a majority in parliament. The Liberals, New Democrats, Greens, and even the Bloq are scrambling to keep what they have in the way of support.


Harper’s Tories are actually doing a great job of shedding a great deal of the bureaucratic empire building and public service expansion built up over the years of left of center governance. The only trouble seems to be that the way the current government is making the changes is unpopular with most Canadians. Harper appears so dictatorial that 65% to 70% of the population will not give his government the support and trust needed to make the needed changes.

Will the changes eventually happen? Probably unless the other parties begin to gain momentum in some yet to be disclosed manner, or a new party comes along to unseat the struggling, inept opposition. A new party can happen as witnessed by the recent surge of support for Alberta’s Wild Rose Party. The same scenario can happen nationwide if a dynamic leader emerges with enough funding to rise from the ashes of Canada’s former Liberal, Progressive Conservative and New Democratic parties. Undoubtedly, the Bloq Quebecois will outlive its usefulness to Quebecers and the Greens will linger as for a place for the disgruntled and idealist environmental factions to caste votes.

Change is inevitable. If Canadians are only interested in change for the sake of change then electing a party with a leader that dictates everything that happens means the Harperites will succeed in getting another minority or even a majority of seats in the next election. The announced Conservative plan for riding redistribution will mean the demise of Quebec as a major influence in Canada’s politics. Increasing the number of seats at the expense of Ontario and Quebec would strengthen the Conservative western base probably leading to another Quebec referendum. Would that result in the United States of Canada or a European type political landscape? With the selling off resource industries to foreign interests and a crumbling infrastructure that holds this great country together needing continuing revenue from those disappearing resource industries change is inevitable.