May 2 is the big day, election day, after which the business of government will finally resume. It will be the fourth election in seven years and I can't wait till it's over.
I remember the good ol' days of Chretien's massive majorities lasting up to five years. After squandering that support, in part by paying millions in federal cash to party-friendlies in the tourism industry in Quebec in what would become known as the sponsorship scandal, the Liberals faced a massive loss of seats. Yet a part of me is yearning for those days where the country would not have to face an election every time opposition's knickers get in a knot.
The change of power from Liberal to Conservative minority a few years ago was slightly reminiscent of Kim Campbell's Progressive Conservative wipeout in 1993. Of course, it was not nearly as devastating. In that election, the public punished Campell's government for a host of things, like the GST and the resounding failure of the constitutional debates. That blow to the conservatives caused the party to turn inward. In the West, the Reform Party virtually took over.
Based on the idea that Canada needed political 'reform', from the senate to the way business is conducted in the House of Commons, the Reform grew its roots in the West. The Conservatives had a long period of soul-searching and rebuilding to unite it back with the West, a humbling experience contending parties have not had. Perhaps, as the Liberals never faced the electoral devastation of the Conservatives in 1993, they missed out on that valuable party rebuilding experience and finding itself.
Then again, there's always May 2 for that to happen. A devastating Liberal loss to the NDP in terms of left and centre leaning voters could be a blessing in disguise for that beleaguered party. The NDP is buoyed by the Liberals failure to regain the full breadth of its previous base since losing power.
With all the coalition versus majority talk, the real issues have skirted the outside of the election: National Defence, parliamentary reform, the long gun registry. These are some of the issues affecting rural and Western Canada, and all of Canada, yet without that majority, nothing will continue to be done.
The Conservatives deserve a majority this election quite simply for the reason that there is no potential “government in waiting" among opposition parties. The electorate deserves a majority, and Canada needs the stability to move forward without fear of the House falling in a few short months or years, costing the taxpayer and stuffing the pockets of politicians with public money.
It's time for a four-year mandate, and the only way to achieve that and not place the burden of yet another election on the electorate in a few short months or years is to achieve a Conservative majority.
