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This is what we voted in
By Peter Christensen
Op-Ed Commentary
Congratulations to Rob Morrison in Columbia-Kootenay-Southern Rockies; a solid win with just over 50% of the vote. And thank you to the other candidates for putting themselves forward, it is not an easy task, one from which we all benefit.
Somebody loses and somebody wins, that is the game. One of the group lessons at elementary school is to be a gracious winner and a congratulatory loser. Not an easy lesson and one that too many Canadians have not taken to heart. Especially those who deserted the NDP and Jagmeet Singh for a Liberal backbench. Their past pledges and rhetoric were just bargaining chips rather than solidarity.
Mr. Singh offered “Congratulations to Prime Minister Carney, and to all the other leaders on a hard-fought campaign.Protecting our healthcare, bringing down your bills, capping grocery prices, making housing more affordable — it’s all possible.” He said this, having lost his seat, as he announced his resignation as leader of the NDP Party. I admire him and am sorry to see him leave the forum though I do not support his Party although now that the deserter’s have left one could give the NDP another chance?
Recently I read Yuval Harari’s book Nexus, A Brief History of Information, Harari argues “that humankind gains enormous power by building large networks of cooperation, but the way that these networks are built predisposes us to use power unwisely.” He further says that information is the glue that holds networks together.
Currently we are flooded with many different kinds of information and it is increasingly difficult to identify what information is the glue that is holding which network together. While each individual is interested in knowing the truth about themselves and join large networks to facilitate that understanding it is very difficult to make these determinations when networks infamously spread rumours, lies, facts, fantasies and fictions.
Humans love a good story, especially one that casts themselves as heroes. Our story, that is Canada’s story, is that we have elected a minority government, one with a corporate raider as leader, one who’s background is allegiance to money. It is apparently our belief that this allegiance will protect us from our closest neighbour though one must wonder about the annexation theory when much of Canada’s industry is already substantially owned and operated by Americans, not without benefit.
One could argue that minority governments are best as it means policy must have the support of both major party’s to get traction. On the other hand, it is also an indicator of immaturity. It shows we cannot make up our mind about who we want to be and are willing to expend multiple resources on this debate rather than acknowledge our identity and stand fast.
This past decade of internal weeping is what led Canada to be characterized as a “Fifty-first State” by a sensationalist President of the United States that is strictly business. Canada’s Liberals spent a lot of cultural capital on self-aggrandizement, too much. It left us vulnerable.
Having seen the error of their ways the Liberals dumped the playboy and hauled in a banker to repair the damage. President Trump inadvertently helped the Liberals by making fun of Trudeau’s weakness. He later joked, after meeting Mr. Carney, that he would rather see a Liberal Government; one can wonder why?
Does a close election mean a non-confidence vote is sitting in the wings and another election as soon as the “election war chests” are refilled, or that we have a style of government where the parties will work together to keep Canada on track? It remains to be seen how ‘the Banker’ will stand up in Parliamentary debate though I expect he will stay out of the furor and let others take the fall.
Will PM Carney continue to haunt the public with conspiracy tales? Can he implement his opponents’ ideas without a majority?
There is something in this kind of win and the desertion of the NDP by their ‘faithful’ that rankles. However, this is what ‘we’ voted in.
– Peter Christensen is a Columbia Valley based writer and poet.
